The Pastel de Nata is, undoubtedly, the most famous among the Portuguese sweets. Appreciated by both portuguese and foreigners, it makes success where it goes. It is called by different names: in Brazil, Pastel de Belém; in the United Kingdom, Portuguese Custard Tart; in the USA, it is the Egg Tart. In truth, our Nata, has overcome frontiers and today it is spread around the world.

If today there are no doubts about its fame and respect, it is more difficult to understand how it has reached us. Its history is not clear yet, although some records have been found and can help to clarify it.

Many references to pastries, with similar recipes to the Pastel de Nata one, have been found. But the one which probably gave rise to the so famous Natas, should have been a Pasteis de Leite recipe, from Infanta D. Maria, dating from the 16th century, in which the filling was identical to the actual, being that the involving dough was a little bit different. Already in the 17th century, a recipe from the cook of Filipe II of Spain, king Filipe I of Portugal, comes up, with the same filling and puff pastry. With some little differences, containing cream and even honey, the Pastéis de leite, kept evolving.

Moving on to the 19th century: between the history and the legend, in 1837, came the so famous Pasteis de Belém®. They originate from a recipe from the monks of Monastery of Jerónimos which, after the closure of the convents and monasteries in the post-Liberal Revolution, ended in the hands of a merchant who began selling them in the Belém area. At the same time, the abbess of Odivelas Convent, D. Bernardina da Conceição (deceased in 1866) had in her notebook what is today considered the first recipe of Pastéis de Nata. With the uncertainty of its origin, with or without cinnamon and powdered sugar, what is certain is that it keeps on being an appreciated dish in Portugal and in the world. At Cruidoce we work to make this historic legacy last and keep on bringing the Pastel de Nata worldwide.

Enjoy!