Pastels de nata are probably the most recognized dessert in Portuguese pastries. With a crispy puff pastry base and cream filling, they have been the subject of the latest O Melhor Pastel de Nata contest, a competition that took place on September 25 and which determines which pastry shop prepares the best version of this sweet in Portugal. This year’s winning cake was that of Confeitaria Glória, a pastry shop located in the town of Amadora (Lisbon), which opened its doors in June of this year.
The competition was held at the Chefs’ Congress in Oeiras, on the outskirts of Lisbon. After achieving victory, João Castanheira, owner of Glória, has claimed to be clear about the secret to preparing the perfect pastel de nata: “That it is crunchy, the puff pastry, the velvety cream, the sweetness at the right point… There are some tricks “, he explained to EFE. Despite the short history of the establishment, Castanheira was already awarded this award before the opening of Glória, specifically in the years 2012, 2013 and 2015 for his work in Aloma, another pastry shop he owned.
The process of analyzing the cakes during the contest is done comprehensively, where the judges use their five senses to determine the result. According to information from EFE, the sweets are visually examined in a first stage, in order to rate elements such as their color, cooking point and shape. They then move on to the crispiness test, where they are lightly pressed to see how the crunch of the puff pastry is perceived, both by touch and by ear. The last stage of evaluation focuses on smell and taste, where they approach the mouth to perceive its smell and taste.
And a good pastel de nata cannot be judged solely based on its flavor. “Everything adds up,” judge and pastry chef Andreia Moutinho tells EFE. To succeed in this preparation, you must take care of the point of the puff pastry, the sweetness of the cream and the level of sweetness. Other keys to achieving success lie in the quality of the ingredients and the correct use of the technique to prepare it.
In addition to the winner Glória, 12 other high-level Portuguese pastry shops participated in the competition. “Whoever comes knows how to make cream puffs very well,” said judge Moutinho.
Currently, Confeitaria Glória prepares more than 300 cream cakes a day. However, with the award they hope that this number will multiply: “she is going to rise a lot. When we won with Aloma, she skyrocketed,” Castanheira admitted. This recognition has been a source of pride for the pastry chef, since, in the eyes of a Portuguese, pastels de nata are “our number one product, at an identification level. Even abroad, when they talk about Portugal, they talk about pastel de nata. cream”. This dessert of conventual origin has a name that refers to the Jerónimos Monastery, in the Belém neighborhood, in Lisbon, which has popularized the name pasteis de Belém. However, in the rest of the country it is simply known as pastel de nata.
