The History

The original Pastel de Nata dates back to before the 18th century, where they were created by monks at the Jeronimos Monastery in the parish of Santa Maria de Belem in Lisbon. At the time, egg whites were used for starching clothes, which meant the leftover egg yolks were transformed into cakes, pastries and desserts. In 1834, all of Lisbon’s convents and monasteries were forced to close, so the monks began to sell the sweet pastries to survive.

Portugal is famed the world over for the Pastel de Nata – crisp, flaky layers of pastry with a delicious, creamy egg-custard filling and a dusting of cinnamon.