Nata
Pastel de nata is a traditional Portuguese egg custard tart that is popular throughout the world. It is believed that for the best result, the filling should not be too sweet and should not have flavors of lemon nor vanilla. Instead, the tarts should be sprinkled with cinnamon and, ideally, paired with a cup of coffee. Originally, this treat was made before the 18th century by Catholic monks and nuns in Santa Maria de Belém in Lisbon. The tart was made from leftover egg yolks that were used in the clearing of wines and starching of clothes. Later on, the clerics made a deal with a nearby bakery to start selling pastel de nata commercially, and the product was a huge success. It is still hugely popular, and the fact can be supported by long lines of people who are waiting on their pastel de nata in front of numerous Portuguese bakeries. However, pastel de Belém's recipe is kept secret, and only the ones produced at the Fábrica Pastéis de Belém can be called pastel de Belém, while all the other egg custard tarts from other producers in Lisbon are called pastel de nata.
Nata
Today, the lowest temperature of pasteurized milk that we can find at the market is VAT at 185F. As you can see, raw milk boiled over the stove top at home is a more nourishing alternative with the added benefit of being able to enjoy nata.
Hi Diana! I love your blog. I like this post very much,it brought so many memories back. I was born and Mexico and we always had raw milk at home,and the first thing my mom will do with the milk was to soft boil it and we will always be waiting for the nata to eat with a warm tortilla or bread, my mom will also save the nata to use instead of butter in her pound bread recipe DELICIOSO! I live in Idaho now and I am bless to be able to get raw milk and today when I got my milk I really wanted to be able to get some nata so my milk is cooling right now and I am very patiently wainting. Thank you, Claudia
Oh my goodness! Thank you for info on how to make nata, My mom and Aunt were born and raised in Mexico and they constantly talk about how my grandmother used to make them nata all the time and how much they miss eating it. Now I can surprise both of them! THanks again!!
My family and I are from Brasil and my father would tell me how his mother always gave him the nata to eat when he was a child. I need to get raw milk and try it now. I never new that is where it came from and my parents are both gone so thank you for this post. 041b061a72