It was my last, and eleventh day in Portugal, and I had still not been to the world-renowned Pasteis de Belem bakery in Lisbon.
Worry not: I had eaten my share of pastel de nata — the egg-custard tart that Pasteis de Belem is said to have created — throughout my adventures in the country, not because I wanted to, per se, but because it seemed sacrilegious not to.
I had gone from not understanding the hype during my first bite at Majestic Cafe in Porto to fiending for a second tart at Pestana Palace Lisboa.
I became so engrossed with the tart that I tried a vegan version at Princesa Do Castelo in Lisbon, wondering how an egg- and butter-free version would taste (quite good, surprisingly).
So, there I was, on my last day in Lisbon with a few hours to kill before my flight. I wondered: Was it necessary to Uber to Belem and wait in the shop’s infamously long line where I would be neck-to-neck with American Yelpers?
Pestana’s pool beckoned but, ultimately, my fear of missing out won over.
I waited in line in front of a group of tourists drinking caramel Frappuccinos from the Starbucks next door — but my spirit lifted with every step toward the bakery’s signature royal-blue counter. The line moved surprisingly fast; my order was placed.
After a few short minutes, I received my fresh tarts, doused them with cinnamon (a must) and took my first bite. After all the imitations I had sampled, I was genuinely surprised by how different the original tasted. Other places were able to nail the flakiness of the tart, but none had come close to the thick creaminess and subtle sweetness of the filling.
Delighted, my partner and I no longer needed words — a shared glimmer in our eyes communicated that we were both getting seconds.
A staffer told us that the store produces thousands of tarts each day, and that only three men handle the production. Whether or not that’s true, it’s clear that the recipe — which originated in the nearby monastery in the early 1800s — has been protected. There’s nothing else like it in Portugal.
The Details
Pasteis de Belem
pasteisdebelem.pt
