The Stuff of Legends: Pastéis de Belém, Portugal

On the outskirts of Lisbon, in an old general store just a few hundred meters from the Atlantic coast, you’ll find a pastry shop that has inspired devotion for more than 170 years.

And for good reason. The shop, Pastéis de Belém, has created a winner of a pastry – a sweet and luscious custardy tart that melts in your mouth like an ice cream cone on a sticky summer afternoon. The treats, which have been made from the same top-secret recipe since the nineteenth century, are served piping hot, with a sprinkling of cinnamon and powdered sugar. Don’t expect to be able to eat just one.

The shop attracts hordes, but it handles the load, churning out 12,000 of the tarts every weekday and up to 20,000 on Saturdays and Sundays. The place has become a cultural institution for Lisboetos, but the secret’s out — and that’s good news for the rest of us.

Pastéis de Belém
Rua de Belém 84
1300 085 Lisboa, Portugal‎
+351.21.363.74.23‎

[Photo via pete.biggs on Flickr]