Pasteis de Belem

Custard tarts come in all shapes and sizes across the world, but not many could hold a candle against the fame that precedes the cakes made in this merry little patisserie in the district of Belem. Custard tarts have been sold at the Pastéis de Belém since 1837, with the bakery remaining tight-lipped about its recipe — a secret well-guarded for nearly two hundred years.
Only six people know the recipe in its entirety today, and all of them work on creating the tarts behind closed doors with even some of the regular workers prohibited from entering them. The store sells around 20,000 custard tarts a day, and some people who frequent the place regard their cakes to be the original Pasteis de Nata, or “custard tarts.”