Pastel de nata
The typical appearance of the pastel de nata in Lisbon, Portugal
Alternative namesPastel de Belém
Pastries of Bethlehem
葡撻[lower-alpha 1] (Cantonese)
CourseDessert
Place of originPortugal
Region or stateBelém, Lisbon (originally); produced worldwide within the Lusosphere
Created byReligious of the Monastery of the Hieronymites
Serving temperatureFresh from oven, with cinnamon and icing sugar
Main ingredientsEgg yolks
Variationsegg tart, custard tart
Food energy
(per serving)
ca. 300 per 100 grams (3.5 oz) kcal

Pastel de nata (Portuguese pronunciation: [pɐʃˈtɛl dɨ ˈnatɐ] (plural: pastéis de nata; [pɐʃˈtɐjʒ dɨ-])) or pastel de Belém is a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, optionally dusted with cinnamon.[1] Outside Portugal, they are particularly popular in other parts of Western Europe, Asia and former Portuguese colonies, such as Brazil, Mozambique, Macau, Goa and East Timor. The Macanese pastel de nata has been adopted by KFC and is available in regions such as the mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand. In Indonesia, this pastry is especially popular in Kampung Tugu, Jakarta, a culturally Portuguese (Mardijker) enclave.[2]

History

Pastel de nata (locally known as tart telur Portugis) in Malaysia

Pastéis de nata were created before the 18th century by Catholic monks at the Hieronymites Monastery (Portuguese: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos) in the civil parish of Saint Mary of Bethlehem, in Lisbon.[3] At the time, convents and monasteries used large quantities of egg-whites for starching clothes, such as friars and nuns' religious habits. It was quite common for monasteries and convents to use the leftover egg yolks to make cakes and pastries, resulting in the proliferation of sweet pastry recipes throughout the country.

In the aftermath of the Liberal Revolution of 1820, following the dissolution of religious orders and in the face of the impending closure of many convents and monasteries, the monks started selling pastéis de nata at a nearby sugar refinery to bring in revenue. In 1834, the monastery was closed and the recipe sold to the sugar refinery, whose owners in 1837 opened the Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém. The descendants own the business to this day.[4]

Pastéis de Belém being produced

Since the opening of Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém, the original recipe of the pastel de nata is kept in a secret room. The Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém is the most popular place to buy pastéis de nata; the shop is located just a short three-minute walk from the Jerónimos Monastery.[5] The shop offers both takeout and sit-in services and sells over 20,000 pastéis de nata a day.[6] Usually the tart is sprinkled with canela (cinnamon), and often accompanied with a bica (a strong espresso coffee).

In 2009 The Guardian listed pastéis de Belém as one of the 50 "best things to eat" in the world.[7] In 2011, following the result of a public vote, the pastry was announced as one of Portugal's Seven Wonders of Gastronomy, further cementing it as one of the country's most popular national dishes.[8]

Pastel de nata abroad

Portuguese egg tart in Macau

The cuisine of Japan was influenced by Portuguese traders during the 16th century, and culturally important Japanese baked goods including pan (パン) (from Portuguese pão, bread) and castella have their origins in this period. Pastel de nata is one of these.[9] In addition to the traditional form of the pastry, some variations have been developed especially for the Japanese market by adding green tea flavoring. This green tea pastel de nata was eventually exported to South Korea and other Asian markets.[10]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Yale: pòuh tāat, literally "Portuguese tart"

References

  1. ↑ Julian Baggini (18 February 2015). "Custard tart fight: can the British version ever compete with Portugal's pastéis de nata?". The Guardian.
  2. ↑ "3 KUDAPAN KHAS JAKARTA HASIL AKULTURASI BUDAYA". infobudaya.net (in Indonesian). 2017-09-18.
  3. ↑ Santos, Nina (26 February 2017). "A Brief Introduction to Pastel De Nata, Portuguese Custard Tarts". Culture Trip. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  4. ↑ "175 anos de pastéis de Belém [175 years of pasteléis de Belém]". Correio da Manhã (in Portuguese). 12 August 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Jeronimos Monastery, Lisbon". www.golisbon.com.
  6. ↑ "Pastéis de Belém: A Taste of History". May 27, 2016.
  7. ↑ Fox, Killian (13 September 2009). "The 50 best things to eat in the world, and where to eat them (The Guardian)". London.
  8. ↑ Pastel de Nata wetravelportugal.com. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  9. ↑ Swinnerton, Robbie (5 September 2009). "Take a little bite of Portugal's egg tart". Japan Times.
  10. ↑ Costa e Silva, Susanna; Elo, Maria (30 November 2017). "How to Internationalize a Traditional Portuguese-Style Food--Liability or Asset of Portugueseness?". In Verbeke, Alain; Puck, Jonas; van Tulder, Rob (eds.). Distance in International Business: Concept, Cost and Value. pp. 425–44. ISBN 9781787437180.

Sources

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