Why has the egg tart become such an international hit?

An unlikely dessert is on its way to becoming as ubiquitous as the croissant.

Not long ago an authentic pastel de nata – the diminutive egg-custard tart with a crispy crust – required a trip to Portugal. Now they’re popping up in supermarkets, coffee shops and bakeries from Manhattan to Singapore. The pastry also enjoyed its own episode on the Great British Bake Off, the global hit that conquered the world with bunting and scones.

The pastel de nata, which just means cream pastry in Portuguese, has similarly become an international hit, centuries after it was said to have been invented in a Belem monastery by monks. In Portugal, the simple treat often costs about a euro (US$1.14) at the more famous shops, but they fetch up to £3 (US$4) in trendy London cafes. One British grocer, Lidl, boasted of selling 2,000 nata an hour in 2018, competing with doughnuts for popularity.

In Manhattan, chef George Mendes introduced the dessert a year and a half ago at his Michelin-starred, Portuguese-inspired Aldea. Not everyone’s familiar with it – yet. For anyone new to the nata: Don’t use a knife and fork. “You’re supposed to eat it with your hands,” Mendes said. “Preferably with a cup of coffee.” Even Mendes says he’s stunned by the dessert’s meteoric rise.

Less than a decade ago, pasteis de nata – the plural – were languishing in obscurity. Sure, they flourished in pockets of the Portuguese diaspora in places like Newark, New Jersey. Mendes discovered them growing up in Danbury, Connecticut, which has a significant Portuguese community. His mum would bring them home after church from a nearby Portuguese bakery. But as recently as 2012, Portugal’s then-economy minister lamented that they weren’t an internationally known export.

It’s unclear what sparked the boom, but the pastry ticks a few boxes. Culturally, Portugal is a must-try on an international travellers’ bucket list, and budget Lisbon rents are creating a tech hub for millennials priced out of London and New York. The famous, blue-and-white-tiled Pasteis de Belem was made for Instagram bragging, despite being founded in 1837.

The treat fits into a shift towards more-casual, high-quality food – especially items you can grab and go. Add to that the trend for fad desserts. Looking back, glam cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery or pies from Four & Twenty Blackbirds seem so quaint before people started queuing for the cronut and the Freakshake stormed Instagram. (Incidentally, Mendes and cronut father Dominique Ansel promoted a crossover-egg tart during a limited release two summers ago.)