If Portugal had an official smell, I'm convinced it would be warm puff pastry, caramelized custard, and fresh espresso. There are few foods more iconic than the Pastel de Nata. Crispy, buttery pastry wrapped around a silky egg custard with those signature blistered tops that make people think they accidentally burned them. (Spoiler alert: they didn't.) The recipe dates back to Lisbon's Jerónimos Monastery, where monks famously used egg whites to starch their robes, leaving th

Some desserts try way too hard. This isn't one of them. Serradura, literally "sawdust" in Portuguese, gets its name from the finely crushed Maria cookies layered between sweet whipped cream. Don't let the name fool you, though. This is one of Portugal's most beloved desserts, and for good reason. It's creamy. It's light. It's ridiculously easy to make. And somehow, despite only having a handful of ingredients, people always ask for the recipe. Growing up, serradura was one of