tarts are pastries inspired by an original recipe called , which were created before the 18th century by Catholic monks at the
Jerónimos Monastery in the
civil parish of
Belém, in Lisbon. At the time, convents and monasteries used large quantities of egg-whites for
starching clothes, such as
friars and
nuns'
religious habits. 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 at a nearby sugar refinery to bring in revenue. In 1834, the monastery was closed and the recipe sold to the sugar refinery, whose owners opened the in 1837. The descendants own the business to this day. Since the opening of , the original recipe that inspired varieties is kept in a secret room. The is, therefore, the only place in the world that produces the original pastry that inspired many variations commonly known as ""; the shop is located just a short three-minute walk from the Jerónimos Monastery. The shop offers both takeout and sit-in services and sells over 20,000 pastéis a day. In 2009,
The Guardian listed as one of the 50 "best things to eat" in the world. In 2011, following the result of a public vote, the pastry was announced as one of Portugal's Seven Wonders of Gastronomy, further cementing it as one of the country's most popular national dishes. ==See also==