The One Food You Must Try in Portugal!

Considering the attention span of the world, I've been looking at creating shorter series' that are still intriguing, but won't necessarily bite a chunk out of your afternoon to sit down and read. Let me introduce "The One Food You Must Try In..." series. I've been to about 70 countries now, and there are so many countries I haven't been able to properly reflect upon. Well, this series allows me to do just that while highlighting something I love - food!

My parents inadvertently inspired this post as they were just in Portugal, and I kept on telling them that they had to try this one particular delicacy.

It occurred to me that I've eaten some great food in my life all over the world, but there's always one thing I tell people they MUST TRY before departing. And so, that's the basis of this new series, along with the above description. 

Anyway, let's get on with it! The one food that you must try in Portugal is...*cue drum roll*...the infamous "Pastel de nata!"

Side note, eating in Portugal is fun to do, trust me, especially so in terms of eating in Lagos.

If heaven threw a dinner party, they'd serve these bad boys for the appetizer and the dessert. I don't even like custard, and I'd do horrible things to eat another one of these right now. It's got a crunchy, beckoning exterior, and a soft interior which makes you weak at the knees. Few delicacies have infatuated me more than that pastel de nata! Can you tell?

My personal experience with "pasties," leads me to believe that Lisbon is simply bursting with quality bakeries that supply them. In fact, I'd say they're ubiquitous. If you're looking for where to head, I'd say the TripAdvisor list of Top Ten Bakeries in Lisbon, is pretty spot on. Though, despite the list, the most famous shop for the pastel de nada is undoubtedly Pastéis de Belém. The lineups there are egregious so go early or go late, but most importantly - go hungry! 

I averaged probably six a day while I was there, and I have zero regrets. Zero! If you're going to Portugal, just accept that to do it justice, you've going to have to stomach a few of these guys, and be sure to never inquire about how many calories these actually pack. 

Have you been to Portugal and agree or disagree? Have I inspired you to book a flight this very moment and go and try one? Let me know me know what you're thinking in the comments below!