Pasteis de Belem

The real Mc Coy

Pastel de Nata, also known as Portugese custard tart, is one of the popular dessert in Portugal. These are available throughout Lisbon, in your neighborhood groceries, popular coffee shop and any decent restaurant. But anyone who has been to Portugal knows that nothing compares to the "original pasteis de nata" from Belem. Actually, I read the monks of Jeronimo Monatery were the first to create this pastry. At that time, convents and monasteries used the egg whites  in starching clothes, such as the nuns' habits. Leftover egg yolks were used to make cakes and pastries, resulting in numerous sweet pastry recipes.