If there’s one Portuguese food item you already know, it’s most likely the country’s renowned egg tarts (in Portuguese, this delicacy is known as pastel de nata, or “cream pastry”). Pastéis de Belém, a pastry shop just west of Lisbon, claims to be the originator of what is ostensibly the country’s most famous pastry. Legend has it that the sweet—which consists of pastry cups filled with an egg and cream custard—was probably first baked at the neighboring Jerónimos Monastery. When Portugal’s monasteries were closed in 1834, a former monk-slash-baker moved…
