For the pastry-lovers out there, I present… Pastéis de Tentúgal, flaky pastry with sweet egg filling, another original handiwork by the nuns of Portugal centuries ago. For the story of its history and how it is made, I refer you to a post by Salt of Portugal titled Silent Inspiration.
As of 2013, Pastel de Tentúgal became one of about 120 IGP (indicações geográficas protegidas) Portuguese products — PGI (protected geographical indication) in English — certified by the European Union Commission for Agriculture and Rural Development. It took around six years for the local confectioners’ association to complete the certification process, but it now means that products carrying the name Pastel de Tentúgal can only be made by producers in Tentúgal in a very specific way, protecting the tradition with quality control measures. In an age when food insecurity often makes the headlines, I’m sure the Carmelite nuns would be pleased to know their recipes have not been diluted by the mass market and can’t be mimicked (legally). If you can’t make it to Tentúgal or thereabouts to buy direct from the source, you can still find Pastéis de Tentúgal sold elsewhere in Portugal — but make sure it says Pastéis de Tentúgal IGP on the box with the producer, just like you see here.
Needless to say, pairs well with strong Portuguese coffee!
August 29, 2015
Album: Portugal [Summer 2015]
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