Cakes of the World: Pastel de Nata

The Portuguese Pastel de Nata is a smooth and creamy egg tart pastry with lemon and cinnamon notes. It’s one of Portugal’s most famous and oldest desserts. You will find it in countries speaking Portuguese and countries with significant Portuguese immigrant populations, like Canada, Australia, Luxembourg, the United States, and France.

This Portuguese treat is often eaten with a cup of coffee, but it’s also a popular dessert in Portugal. It’s becoming increasingly well-loved elsewhere as the world catches up on these special and delicious custard cream tarts.

The first Pastéis de Nata (pastéis is the plural form of pastel) were created in the 18th century by the Catholic monks at the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon. Monasteries used large quantities of egg whites to starch clothes and they used the leftover egg yolks to make cakes and pastries, resulting in the proliferation of sweet pastry recipes throughout the country.

Following the extinction of the religious orders, and facing the impending closure of many religious institutions in the aftermath of the Liberal Revolution of 1820, the monks started selling their ‘Pastéis de Nata’ to secure revenue and sustenance. When the Jerónimos Monastery was closed in 1834, the recipe was sold to the local sugar refinery, whose owners in 1837 opened the Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém. Since then, both locals and visitors have continued to visit the bakery to purchase fresh from the oven Pastéis sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar.