The tart born from laundry

This is one of my favourite food origin stories, because it starts with laundry. Monks at the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém used egg whites to starch their habits, and instead of throwing away the leftover yolks, someone turned them into a custard and baked it into pastry.

When Portugal dissolved its monasteries in 1834, the monks lost their income overnight, and they sold their recipe to a local merchant, who opened a bakery in 1837 that's still trading today. The recipe hasn't changed hands publicly since. It's known only to a small group of pastry chefs who work in a locked room, separated from everyone else, and who sign a contract promising never to share it. All because someone once needed stiff collars and didn't want to waste the yolks.

I painted one in watercolour and ink, that caramelised top and flaky pastry. There's a poster with a letter home and a postcard if you'd like one.

Shop the poster here: A Pastel de Nata, Lisbon · Travel Poster