Nata Family – Frederico Duarte

Literally meaning “creamy pastry”, it is the most famous of Portuguese cakes, but even that comes in several individually named varieties: the original Pastel de Belém (bottom centre), named after the Lisbon monastery, has a thinner dough than the “classic” pastel de nata; the often called “natão” (top left and right) version is the same but extra tall; the “bom bocado” or “good bit” (left) has a different type of shell to the usual; the cylindrical “alsaciano” (centre) has the same dough container and filling as the bom bocado, but with a crystallised cherry inside (there is a very practical reason for this, and we can explain you later); and finally there is “miniatura” or “miniature” (right), a one-bite version of the classic. We are thus in the presence of a classic example of redesign, where an ancient shape gains a new interpretation. And this is just one example of how design can look into this special part of our world.

The Pastel de nata is Portugal’s biggest baking export. Flakey, custard-filled and slightly burnt on top, this small doughy tartlet is available across the world. The original pastel de nata, the Pastel de Belém, has been made by the same small factory near Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon since 1837, using a secret recipe created by its Catholic monks.

If you ask anyone in Portugal to name all the cakes they know, they could easily list over 20 right away. The pastel de nata (“creamy pastry”) is the most famous but even that comes in several individually named varieties: the original Pastel de Belém, named after the Lisbon district, has a thinner dough than the “classic” pastel de nata; what is often called the “natão” (or “big nata”) version is the same but extra tall; the “bom bocado” (the “good bit’) has a shortcrust rather than a puff pastry shell; the cylindrical “alsaciano” is the same as the bom bocado but with a crystallised cherry inside; and, finally, there is “miniatura”, a one-bite version of the classic – the kind of thing your aunt brings home by the dozen for tea.

There is nothing refined or special about these custard tarts — they’re as much a part of our culinary landscape as espresso coffee or bread and butter. They are produced in a semi-industrialised way in pastelarias all over the country. The members of the nata family share a common basic form, but by catering to different tastes (and hunger levels) the variations meet different functions. They are a feature of Portuguese design that we often overlook.

FREDERICO DUARTE & PEDRITA (RITA JOAO & PEDRO FERREIRA)

Originally Published in icon magazine, October 2006. Following Sugo’s Pirâmide article, this text made us really start thinking we were on to something.

Published by