Break at Nata in Cascaia

》Espresso flavored with Portuguese Firewater
》Pastel de Nata

^Aguardente de Medronhos is also known as 'firewater' to non-Portuguese speakers. It is a rough translation from água ardente, which is Portuguese for burning water. The spirit obtains this name from the hot sensation as the consumed beverage travels down the throat and is felt through the sinuses.

^Pastel de nata or Pastel de Belém is a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, optionally dusted with cinnamon. 

The origin of Pastel de Nata dates back to before the 18th century, where they were created by monks at the Jerónimos Monastery in the parish of Santa Maria de Belém in Lisbon.  At that time, convents and monasteries used large quantities of egg-whites for starching clothes. It was quite common for monasteries and convents to use the leftover, egg yolks, to make cakes and pastries, resulting in the proliferation of sweet pastry recipes throughout the country.

In the aftermath of the Liberal Revolution of 1820, following the dissolution of religious orders and in the face of the impending closure of many convents and monasteries, the monks started selling pastéis de nata at a nearby sugar refinery to bring in revenue. In 1834, the monastery was closed and the recipe sold to the sugar refinery.Read more