Pasteis de Belem in Lisbon – the delicious taste of Portugal

They’re crisp, creamy, custardy and perfumed with vanilla and cinnamon – the Pasteis de Belem (or Pastel de Nata as they are often known) are the signature pastry of Lisbon. If you have a sweet tooth, like me you’ll find yourself looking for opportunities to taste them – at your hotel breakfast, with your mid-morning coffee and perhaps a few to take home.

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Learn how to make Portugal’s famous egg tarts, Pastel de Nata, during a 2-hour cooking class in a beautiful kitchen with professional and friendly chefs.

There are plenty of Pastelarias or cake shops around Lisbon, but there’s one place that’s on every tourist map for tasting these delicious little mouthfuls and that’s the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém where the cakes are simply known as the Pastéis de Belém. In 15 minutes from downtown Lisbon on the no 15 tram you’ll reach the Monastery of Jerónimos, another Lisbon landmark and one tram stop before is the bakery. You’ll know it from the crowds milling around around the doorway, queuing to buy some of the famous Pasteis de Belém.

If the sun had been shining, I’d have bought my pasteis and eaten them in the nearby park, overlooking the River Tagus, but as it was pouring with rain, we spotted a sign saying that seating was available and decided to venture in. Initially I couldn’t believe that there would be anywhere to sit, but as one room opened into the next we walked on through until we reached a large room where there were some free tables. They do sell snacks and sandwiches here, but I would imagine that barely anyone leaves without having ordered their Pastéis de Belém.

Taste the best of Lisbon with a local on this plastic-free Treasures of Lisboa Food Tour to support family-restaurants

History of the Pastéis de Belém

So the story goes that in the 18th century the monks of the nearby monastery sold the ancient recipe to the bakery and it remained a secret, only known by three of the chefs at the bakery. There’s even a special room where the secret’s kept. It’s a nice story, but of course nothing stays secret for long, so if you’d like to give the Pasteis a try, then you can find my own recipe for Pasteis de Nata here.

All the pasties are made on the premises and each day they turn out anything between 15,000 and 50,000 pastries (yes that’s FIFTY THOUSAND). What a production line!

Near our table was a counter showing some of the other biscuits, cakes and preserves made at the bakery and we also bought a ringed cake topped with colourful crystallised fruits as a gift for some local friends we were going to visit. They later told us that it was the traditional Portuguese Christmas cake, which might have a little token buried in it, in the same way that we might put a sixpence in the Christmas pudding for one lucky person to find (hoping they won’t break a tooth on it first)

We enjoyed our coffee and Pastéis, which are said to be the best in Lisbon, although I have to say that the ones we were served in our Hotel Av Liberdade had the marginal edge on the creaminess, crunchiness and general deliciousness scale (must find out where they get them). I’m still dreaming of those little morsels of yumminess – it will be hard to miss them when you’re next in Lisbon.

Antiga Confeitaria de Belém website | Rua de Belém 84-82, Lisbon

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Visit Lisboa – Official Tourism Website

On this trip I used the DK Top 10 travel guide to Lisbon which is a pocket sized guide that’s ideal for sightseeing if you’re there for a short time.

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This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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