July 7, 2025

In Lisbon enjoying the Pastel de nata, the typical Portuguese dessert

The culture and traditions of a people lay their roots and their beauty also in the typical gastronomy, in the universe of flavors and products that take us back in time, in the past and in the history of a country. In fact, there are recipes and typical products, sweet and savoury, which represent real symbols of an entire nation, flavors that cannot be missed by the visitor who is there for a leisure, business or leisure trip just as it will happen to students and teachers who will be welcomed by ETN new Portuguese agency, Pessoa Academy, based in the center of Lisbon.

One of the typical Portuguese products, widespread throughout Portugal but which was born in Lisbon, is the pastel de nata, also known as pastel de Belem. Pastel, in the plural pasteis, is a single-portion pie with a base of puff pastry filled with a cream very similar to custard but also made with cream; it is then cooked in the oven to become well browned and served with a sprinkling of icing sugar and cinnamon. This dessert is not only a delight for the palate but also has a very suggestive and fascinating origin and past history.

According to tradition, pasteis were invented by the Catholic monks of the order of St. Jerome who lived in the Santa Maria de Belém district of Lisbon in the impressive monastery of St. Jerome, which was built in the early 16th century at the request of King Don Manuel I and is one of the most famous and visited monuments in Lisbon. However, following the Liberal Revolution of 1822 many Portuguese convents and monasteries were gradually closed, so in order to maintain themselves economically in that period these monks began to sell their pastries with great success. Despite this, around 1834 they were forced to leave due to the closure of the monastic orders and of the monastery itself. The pasteis de nata recipe was then sold by the monks to a local entrepreneur who took advantage of its commercial potential until in 1837 he opened the historic pastry shop called Antiga Confeitaria de Belem today Pasteis de Belem, located in Rua de Belem 84. This place preserves and still follows today that ancient secret recipe, which only three people in all of Lisbon are said to know, and has become a real destination of tourist interest, since it has been active and operating for two centuries and constitutes a piece of Portuguese history and of Lisbon in particular. Even if the original recipe is jealously guarded among the pastry chefs who work in the Pasteleria de Belem, many other pastry shops have an excellent own artisanal production of this dessert, but not being able to use the Pastel de Belem denomination since it is a registered trademark in 1918, they use the simple term Pastel de nata, which really means “cream dessert”.

Classified in 2011 as one of the gastronomic wonders of Portugal, the pastel de nata is not just a simple pastry typical of this country, but represents a symbol of the culture and identity of the Portuguese people who carry a past history made up of legend and tradition , of secrets and charm to be admired and enjoyed in this beautiful city.

Related Posts

YOUTHShare: the results achieved and future objectives in the project’s Open Event

June 1, 2022

June 1, 2022

What do we mean with NEET? What if we told you that one in four young people in Italy does...

6 steps to write a perfect Erasmus+ mobility project

February 1, 2023

February 1, 2023

Are you writing a short – term KA12/KA22 Erasmus+ individual Mobility project for your school ? If the answer is...

Design’s Influence on Success: Insights from the “Design Me” Erasmus+ Project

September 15, 2023

September 15, 2023

We all know that design can significantly influence a company’s success, helping in brand building, attracting clients, increasing conversions, and...

“Oh, Lisbon, my sweet home!”: Lisbon and the amazing Fernando Pessoa

January 23, 2023

January 23, 2023

We can say that Lisbon wouldn’t be the same without Pessoa and even that Pessoa, without its rare beauty and...

A Student’s Spring in Sofia

May 2, 2023

May 2, 2023

As summer approaches, Sofia comes to life during the beautiful Bulgarian spring. After a long and gloomy winter, visitors will...

Erasmus+ KA2 “Skills Act 4 VET” project: in Rome the last Transnational Meeting

March 1, 2022

March 1, 2022

The last Transnational Project Meeting of “Skills Act 4 VET” is taking place these days in Rome. Tribeka, our Spanish...

Not only Montecchi and Capuleti: an Erasmus+ in Rimini to get to know the Malatesta and Montefeltro families and their rivalry

July 26, 2022

July 26, 2022

Everybody knows the famous rivalry between the Montague and Capulet families or, if you will, between Romeo and Juliet. It’s...

Erasmus+ KA2 IPAL project: promote and develop adult training and education

December 17, 2021

December 17, 2021

Briefly about IPAL The IPAL project is a joint initiative of 5 organizations from Spain, Bulgaria, Italy, Greece and Germany...

In Potenza the Italian Multiplier Event of the Erasmus+ KA2 VET “Vir2TEX” project

April 19, 2023

April 19, 2023

Meeting students and teachers is always a fantastic emotion that turns into a beautiful experience and many great memories that...

The ZSP students’ experiences in Rimini

May 3, 2023

May 3, 2023

We arrived in Rimini on April 16. The first days were spent to getting familiar with this new reality. Everything...

Sofia is a “come on” place

June 1, 2016

June 1, 2016

5 things you should know about Sofia

SkillsAct4Vet: crossing results and widening impact

March 22, 2021

March 22, 2021

The debate around #SoftSkills has reached a central role during the last decade among the experts in training mobilities for...

Fostering Intercultural Competence: Greek teachers from SDE Mytilene in Berlin(k)

June 18, 2024

June 18, 2024

From March 15 to March 23, 2023, a fantastic group of eight dedicated educators from SDE Mytilene in Greece embarked...

Equality and inclusiveness: how Erasmus+ promotes equal access to all its actions

June 20, 2022

June 20, 2022

“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” (Sydney J. Harris) Equality and inclusiveness are part of...

Ireland in the heart and a clover on the wrist: 8 good reasons to visit Cork

February 13, 2020

February 13, 2020

You have Ireland in your heart, a clover on your wrist and an agenda full of places to visit. There’s...

Comments
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Newsletter