If you’ve been to Lisbon, you’ve surely enjoyed Pastel de Nata. This Portuguese pastry made of puff pastry and filled with a cream made from eggs, cream, and sugar will drive your taste buds wild. In Rome, it’s not easy to find it in traditional pastry shops, but we’ve found a place where you can even have seconds.
We’re talking about the Tre Pupazzi restaurant in Borgo Pio. Here you can eat Roman and Portuguese specialties in medieval-style rooms. The restaurant is located in a building dating back to 1625, not far from Castel Sant’Angelo. Tradition and innovation come together here, with Portuguese specialties available for lunch and dinner from Monday to Saturday.
You’ll find typical dishes such as bruschetta with pan-fried salt cod and red onion, pork and clams with white wine, coriander and paprika with chips, and salt cod in all its forms: with eggplant, tomato, oregano and potatoes; with curry and white rice; with prawns and garden vegetables; etc.
Among the Portuguese desserts, the pastel de nata stands out, a dessert famous all over the world. The novelty is that now you can also find it with a tasty Nutella filling… In Lisbon,the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém preserves the ancient recipe, which is why it is difficult to find the same flavor. Each one is delicious, and in fact, there are several famous pastry shops in the Portuguese city, such as Manteigaria Lisboa, Pastelaria Alcôa, and Confeitaria Nacional.
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How can you make this sweet treat at home?
If you fancy a pastel de nata, you can always make it at home. Benedetta Parodi reveals an easy recipe that takes just 7 minutes! The ingredients are easy to find: puff pastry, 150 ml of water, 200 g of sugar, the zest of one lemon, half a teaspoon of cinnamon, 3 eggs, flour, cornstarch, and milk.
For the cream, boil the water with the sugar, lemon zest, and cinnamon for 1 minute. Then, in a bowl, mix the cornstarch (15 g), flour (30 g), and milk (300 ml). Add the hot syrup to the bowl and mix. Then, place the batter on the stove and continue stirring until it thickens. When the consistency is right, remove from the heat and add 2 egg yolks and one egg. Return to the heat and bring to the boil. Once the cream is ready, place the puff pastry in a muffin tin and add the cream. Bake the pastries in the oven at 180º for 30 minutes. When they are ready, select the grill function.
The best places in Lisbon to eat it
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We said that you don’t need to go to Lisbon, but if you feel like visiting this beautiful city, our colleagues in Portugal have found the temples of taste where pastel de nata is an institution, mapping the city neighborhood by neighborhood. Among the must-see stops are the historic Pastéis de Belém (Rua de Belém 84-92), where a secret recipe has been followed since 1837, and the now iconic Manteigaria, located both in Chiado (Rua do Loreto 2) and at the Time Out Market. In the heart of the shopping district, Chiado, the spectacular Pastelaria Alcôa (Rua Garrett 37) and the Castro atelier (Rua Garrett 38) are worth a visit, while those seeking award-winning excellence should head to Campo de Ourique for Pastelaria Aloma (Rua Francisco Metrass 67). There are also plenty of central options, such as Fábrica da Nata on Rua Augusta or the historic Confeitaria Nacional in Praça da Figueira, ideal for those who want to enjoy these warm, crispy cream pastries between visits.
