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Pastéis de BelémPastéis de Nata or Belém Custard Tarts From: Lisbon, Portugal
Belém,
the maritime gateway to Lisbon during the
Age of Discovery, is most famous for
its 16th Century Torre de Belém
and the
Mosteiro dos Jerónimos monastery, two stunning examples of Portuguese
Manueline architecture that have earned recognition as UNESCO World Heritage
Sites. Still, neither tourists nor Lisboners can subsist on culture alone, and
no visit to Lisbon's waterfront suburb is complete without a stop at
Pastéis de Belém, a bakery-café that
has been serving its trademarked custard tarts since 1837.
The
shop is hard to miss: It occupies several connecting storefronts on the Rua de
Belém, next to the Jerónimos monastery and near the presidential palace (where a
recent president of Portugal enjoyed the Belém tarts that he bought each day on
his way to work).
The line for the take-out bakery counter often reaches into the
street, but don't let it discourage you: Just walk inside, look for an empty
table in one of the many dining rooms, and order your pastéis--warm and
fresh from the oven--with coffee,
hot chocolate, or a shot of something stronger. (You won't be alone: On a busy
Saturday or Sunday, the resident bakers often produce more than 50,000 of their
delectable custard tarts.) Pastéis de Belém opens daily at 8 a.m. and serves customers
until between 10 p.m. and midnight, depending on the day of the week and the
time of year. Notes: "Pastéis de Belém" is a
trademarked name; at other bakeries in Portugal, the tarts are called
"Pastéis de Nata." (Dieters should be aware that the singular of
"pastéis" is "pastel.") If a trip to Portugal isn't on
your to-do list, you can try baking the pastries at home with this
recipe from
Leite's Culinaria. For more
information, see the bilingual Pastéis de Belém
Web site. More photos:
You'll often see a crowd outside the Pastéis de Belém shop, which attracts mobs of locals as well as tourists.
Inside, the tables are likely to be packed with hungry pastry aficionados. (If you can't find a seat, try one of the other dining rooms, which are scattered throughout the connecting storefronts.)
If you want to enjoy pastéis as the natives do, sprinkle the warm custard tarts with cinnamon and sugar.
Don't miss a pilgrimage to the bakery on the premises, where you can observe workers unloading trays of tarts behind glass.
About the author: Durant Imboden is a professional travel writer, book author, and editor who focuses on European cities and transportation. After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post. For more information, see About Europe for Visitors, press clippings, and reader testimonials. |
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