TasteAtlas has declared Portugal's Pastel de Belém the best dessert in the world for 2025/2026.
Often confused with pastel de nata, the "Belém" variant is the original cream tart recipe, created in the Belém neighborhood of Lisbon.
For more than 200 years, the recipe has been kept secret and is only used at the iconic Pastéis de Belém pastry shop, which completely sets it apart from any other cream tart in the world.
This rating highlights Portugal's rich gastronomic heritage.
Pastel de Belém is the predecessor of pastel de nata: a crispy pastry filled with milk, eggs, sugar, lemon and cinnamon.
While pastel de nata is the popular variant throughout Portugal, only the tart made in Belém, according to a 200-year-old recipe, bears the name Pastel de Belém, and this is precisely what made it the winner of TasteAtlas for the best dessert in the world.
