There’s no doubt Portugal has the best pastry in the world, according to Taste Atlas.
The country took the two top spots in the world food atlas’ recently published list of the 100 best pastries in the world for 2023.
In first place in the rankings by Taste Atlas — the world’s first interactive food map, detailing dishes and ingredients from all over the world — is the pastel de Bélem. The second place goes to the more widely served pastel de nata.
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Although they are similar, Taste Atlas explains that the two Portuguese pastries cannot be considered the same since the pastéis de Belém are only produced at the Fábrica dos Pastéis de Belém, according to the recipe created in 1837 by the monks of the Jerónimos Monastery.
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On the other hand, the pastel de nata can be found everywhere. Taste Atlas recommends trying the pastéis de nata from Manteigaria, Pastelaria Aloma, and Confeitaria Nacional, all located in Lisbon.
The Italian focaccia di recco, the Swedish kanelbulle and the Bulgarian banitsa round off the top five on this list.
There are two other Portuguese pastries on the Taste Atlas top 100: bola de berlim (26th place) and travesseiros from Sintra (94th place).
Check the list:Taste Atlas Best Pastry in the World Top 100
Taste Atlas is a Croatian-based project founded by journalist and entrepreneur Matija Babić. The list was compiled using reviews and recommendations from gastronomy professionals and critics’ reviews instead of user-generated content in order to ensure trustworthiness.
Coincidently, the Taste Atlas list comes at a time when bakeries in Fall River and New Bedford are participating in the first-ever Pastéis de Nata Throwdown, a friendly food contest organized by New Bedford Food Tours, Destination New Bedford, and Viva Fall River.
Throughout the month of February, local foodies can vote for the establishment that makes their favorite pastel de nata. Voting is available online at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8by-YD09SucmcxXzEH3x6oki2ghv6x6a50UGDJxo_T5fHwQ/viewform
