Portuguese Egg Tarts … or Pastel de Belém are magical and will always make me think of Lisbon. You can find them all over the country — and around the world — but you’ll need to travel to the Portuguese Capital to bite into the real deal.
When you visit Portugal, you’ll quickly realize that there are hundreds of bakeries and restaurants that make and sell similar tarts. But if you want to taste the tart that started it all, you’ll need to make the trek to Antiga Confeitaria de Belem.
They may not look like much, but if you’ve tried to make them yourself, you’ll know that looks can be deceiving. Much of that is because there are only a handful of people who know the exact recipe to make the tarts.
The story of the famed little tart starts hundreds of years ago at a Monastery in Lisbon. According to this foodie legend, the monks who lived there used egg whites to starch their clothes. Instead of throwing out the leftover yolks, they added some sugar and turned them into the filling for the simple custard tarts. Before the monastery closed in the early part of the 19th century, the monks either sold or gave the tart recipe to the owner of a sugar refinery.
He opened a shop and started selling the tarts — using the monk’s recipe — by 1840. The shop still exists today and is called The Antiga Confeitaria de Belem. Everyone who lives in Lisbon can give you directions to the place. You’ll know you’re in the right location when you see the line wrapping around the outside the bakery.
Right now, according to cafe employees that I spoke to, there are only six people ON THE PLANET who know the exact recipe they use to make these little tarts. They all work at Antiga Confeitaria de Belem … and according to some people in Lisbon, they had to sign a nondisclosure agreement before getting the recipe!
The three chefs who have been entrusted with the recipe, have worked for the bakery for more than 40-years! They make a combined 20,000 pastries … EVERY. DAY.
If the cakes are baked from somewhere other than Antiga Confeitaria de Belem they have to be called Pastel de Nata. The only tarts that can be called Pastel de Belém are the ones made in this bakery. So, technically you can’t say you’ve tried a Pastel de Belém tart, unless you’ve been to the bakery.
Topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Each costs just over a euro.
Want to try to recreate the magic? Here’s a popular recipe for the tarts. Just remember it’s not the exact recipe!
We tried tarts from other bakeries in Lisbon and Sintra before we drove over to the famed bakery. I will say that the tarts from Antiga Confeitaria de Belem were the best that we tried. The big difference is that their tarts are served right out of the oven, so they are still warm. The other tarts we tried weren’t as fresh … and were either served room temperature or cold.
Have you traveled to Lisbon and Antiga Confeitaria de Belem? Do you think it’s worth the trip to the bakery?