Pastel de Belém and Pastel de Nata are considered the best pastries in the world. - This is Madeira Island (2024)

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Pastel de Belém and Pastel de Nata are considered the best pastries in the world. - This is Madeira Island? ›

Pastel de Belém and Pastel de Nata are considered the best pastries in the world. According to the Taste Atlas guide, the top two places on the world pastry podium are reserved for Portugal.

If there's one Portuguese food item you already know, it's most likely the country's renowned egg tarts (in Portuguese, this delicacy is known as pastel de nata, or “cream pastry”). Pastéis de Belém, a pastry shop just west of Lisbon, claims to be the originator of what is ostensibly the country's most famous pastry.

There's no doubt Portugal has the best pastry in the world, according to Taste Atlas. The country took the two top spots in the world food atlas' recently published list of the 100 best pastries in the world for 2023.

During the liberal revolution, the monks of the Jeronimos Monastery, located in Belém, created the original recipe of the first “pastéis de nata” as a way to ensure their survival. The monks sold the little custard tarts to tourists who arrived by steamboat to visit the monastery and the nearby Torre de Belém.

However, you will find small bakeries on every corner of the street in Madeira, so getting a hold of a pastel de nata is not really an issue. You'll find them everywhere!

A specialty all over Lisbon, pasteis de nata are the famous Portuguese egg tart pastries. They have a flaky crust with a custard filling and are best enjoyed topped with a dusting of powdered sugar & cinnamon!

Inside the filling is creamy, rich and only slightly sweet. If you don't love super sweet treats, you're going to love pastéis de nata! Locals typically order their pastel with a bica (espresso shot) to it wash down. As you might guess, it's typically eaten during the morning hours as the perfect light breakfast…

This simple but delectable treat was actually created in an effort to prevent food waste: the nuns and monks would use egg whites to starch their clothes, which left an abundance of egg yolks. Thus: the egg yolk-based custard in pastéis de nata was born!

They are the same thing. The diference is that the pastéis de Belém are pastéis de nata produced by the local pastelaria de Belém supposed to be the place owning the original recipe.

How to Store Pasteis de Nata. While pasteis de nata are best enjoyed warm on the day they're made, they can be stored at room temperature for up to two days.

Does pastel de nata expire? ›

As a fresh product at ambient temperature it should be consumed within 24 hours. As a frozen product it has 12 months shelf life. Storage conditions are in a closed package in the freezer at -18C. Once defrosted, the Pastel de Nata should be prepared and consumed within the next 24 hours.

It was love at first taste for the pastel de nata — a custard tart in a puff pastry, small enough to hold in the palm of your hand but satisfying enough to serve as a breakfast treat, afternoon snack or dessert.

Pasteis de nata, or Portuguese custard tarts, with their signature flaky crust and sweet custard filling are world-famous, and incredibly delicious. This recipe shows you how to make them from scratch, using basic ingredients.

The Bolo de Bolacha is a traditional Portuguese cake, without baking, made of different layers of Maria biscuits and butter cream. The Bolo de Bolacha is a very common cake in Portugal that can be found in all pastelarias and on all party or birthday tables.

The Travesseiros de Sintra are one of the most sought after sweets in Sintra, by both locals and tourists alike. Travesseiros are made with puff pastry, egg yolks, almonds and sugar, and are universally recognised as one of Sintra's greatest delicacies.