The History of the Egg Tart

A long queue stretches in front of a small pastry shop on the streets of Belém, Lisbon. People wait patiently for a taste of freshly baked, golden pastries. This modest dessert, born in an 18th-century monastery, crossed the Atlantic and traveled all the way to Asia — evolving from Portugal’s Pastel de Nata into the egg tarts of Macao and Hong Kong. With each bite, where flaky pastry meets silky custard, centuries of history and culture are layered within.

Origins in the Monastery: Portugal’s Pastel de Nata (Before the 18th Century)

The egg tart traces its ancestry to the Pastéis de Nata created by monks at the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, Lisbon.^[1] This dessert was being made before the 18th century, and its origins were thoroughly practical. At the time, monasteries and convents across Portugal used large quantities of egg whites to starch and stiffen the habits and religious vestments worn by their members.^[2] The resulting surplus of egg yolks was enormous, and the monks began making cakes and pastries as a way to avoid waste.^[2] This custom spread to monasteries across Portugal and ultimately gave rise to a wealth of traditional Portuguese dessert recipes centered on egg yolks. Indeed, the vast majority of Portugal’s traditional sweets fall under the category of doces conventuais (convent sweets) — among them ovos moles, queijadas, and dozens of other varieties alongside the Pastel de Nata. A humble byproduct of religious practice had given birth to an entire confectionery tradition.

The monks of the Jerónimos Monastery developed a distinctive recipe: a rich, butter-laden puff pastry shell filled with a custard made from egg yolks, sugar, and cream, then baked until set.^[3] The dessert quickly earned a local reputation and became an important source of income for the monastery.

The Birth of a Commercial Tradition: Pastéis de Belém (1837)

Following the Liberal Revolution of 1820, Portugal undertook sweeping religious reforms. The government issued decrees dissolving religious orders and nationalizing church properties, forcing hundreds of monasteries and convents across the country to close their doors.^[4] Faced with financial hardship, the monks of the Jerónimos Monastery began selling Pastéis de Nata at a sugar refinery located near the monastery.^[4] When the monastery finally closed in 1834, the owners of the refinery purchased the closely guarded recipe, and in 1837 — just a three-minute walk from the monastery — they opened Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém.^[4]

To this day, Pastéis de Belém keeps the original monastery recipe locked in a secret room, passed down only to a select few master bakers.^[5] A true “Pastel de Belém” can only be tasted at this single shop; similar products made throughout Portugal are known by the generic name “Pastel de Nata.”^[5] This distinction remains strictly upheld today, and the bakery — which sells upwards of 20,000 tarts per day — is one of Lisbon’s premier tourist destinations. The Pastel de Nata soon spread across Portugal, with each patisserie developing its own version with slightly different flavors, textures, and sizes.

Crossing into Asia: Macao and Hong Kong (20th Century)

The egg tart arrived in Asia by two separate routes. One passed through Macao, a former Portuguese colony; the other through Hong Kong, a former British colony.

The Hong Kong Egg Tart: Adapted from the British Custard Tart (1920s Onwards)

Interestingly, the Hong Kong egg tart drew its inspiration not from Portugal but from the British custard tart.^[6] In the 1920s, Guangzhou (Canton) was a hub of European trade, and British custard tarts filtered into the city, where local chefs began adapting them in a Chinese style.^[6] Around 1927, egg tarts started being sold at the Jinguang Restaurant (真光酒樓) in Guangzhou — an early incarnation of the style now common across Guangzhou and Hong Kong.^[7]

At the time, Guangzhou’s department stores were locked in fierce competition, each unveiling new dishes weekly to attract customers; the egg tart was one such “Weekly Special.”^[8] After World War II, egg tarts made their way to Hong Kong, but at first they were available only in upscale Western-style restaurants.^[6] It was not until the 1960s that cha chaan teng (茶餐廳, Hong Kong-style casual diners) began selling egg tarts, bringing them within reach of everyday Hongkongers.^[6]

In June 2014, the craft of making Hong Kong egg tarts was officially inscribed on the Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage list.^[7] The Hong Kong egg tart is made with either shortcrust or puff pastry, and its custard is less sweet and notably smoother than the Portuguese version.^[8]

The rapid popularity of the Hong Kong egg tart owes much to cha chaan teng culture. These casual eateries offered Western-inspired dishes reinterpreted in a distinctly Hong Kong style at affordable prices, and they multiplied rapidly alongside the city’s explosive urbanization in the 1950s and 60s. As the egg tart became a staple of the cha chaan teng menu, it transformed from a refined dessert into an everyday snack enjoyed by ordinary people, and took its place as a defining element of Hong Kong’s culinary identity.

The Macanese Portuguese Egg Tart: Andrew Stow’s Innovation (1989)

Macao was a Portuguese colony from 1557 until 1999,^[9] making it a place where Portuguese culture took deep root. Yet the Portuguese-style egg tart that made Macao famous was, remarkably, the creation of an Englishman.

In 1979, British pharmacist Andrew Stow relocated to Macao, and on September 15, 1989, he opened Lord Stow’s Bakery on Coloane Island.^[10] Stow, then 34, sold European breads and cakes from his little village shop, and at the bottom of the menu he added two words: “egg tarts.”^[10] He studied Portugal’s Pastel de Nata but did not simply replicate it. He reduced the cinnamon notes of the Portuguese original, increased the cream ratio, and created a smoother, more delicate texture suited to Asian palates. The exterior caramelized and crisped like the Portuguese version, but the interior was lighter and sweeter — his own recipe entirely.

Locals quickly fell in love with his European-style products, and the egg tarts in particular became a sensation.^[10] As the press began writing about Andrew and his tiny bakery, Lord Stow’s Bakery rose to Macao’s list of must-visit attractions.^[10] In 1997, the first franchise opened in Hong Kong, and in 1999 Andrew Stow’s wife Margaret Wong sold the recipe to KFC, propelling the Macanese-style Pastel de Nata across Asia — to Singapore, Taiwan, and beyond.^[7]

On October 25, 2006, Andrew Stow passed away suddenly from an asthma attack,^[10] but his daughter Audrey Stow and sister Eileen Stow took over the bakery and continue to uphold his exacting standards.^[10] In 2020, Macao’s egg tart was added to the Macao Protected Intangible Cultural Heritage list.^[10] That a dessert created by an Englishman in a former Portuguese colony became a cherished part of that city’s culinary heritage is a vivid illustration of how food can cross national and ethnic boundaries to shape cultural identity.

The Egg Tart Today: Around the World

Today, the egg tart is beloved far beyond Portugal, Macao, and Hong Kong — it has become a global dessert. Each region has developed its own distinctive style.

• Portuguese Pastel de Nata: Known for its caramelized top, rich puff pastry, and the traditional custom of eating it dusted with cinnamon powder.^[3]
• Hong Kong egg tart: Made with shortcrust or puff pastry, with a custard that is less sweet and noticeably smoother.^[8]
• Macanese Portuguese egg tart: Closer to the Portuguese style, but slightly sweeter, with a more deeply caramelized top.^[11]

Global chains such as KFC and Starbucks also sell their own versions of the egg tart.^[7] In particular, KFC’s adoption of Margaret Wong’s recipe in the late 1990s — rolling it out across locations throughout Asia — played a decisive role in the egg tart’s worldwide spread. In Japan, variations using Hokkaido milk and cheese found an enthusiastic following. In Taiwan, a craze for the Portuguese-style egg tart swept the country in the late 1990s. In Singapore and the Philippines, local adaptations reflecting each country’s food culture have taken hold.

Since the 2020s, a reverse-import phenomenon has even emerged in Europe. Dedicated Pastel de Nata shops have been opening one after another in major European cities — London, Paris, Berlin — establishing this dessert as a flagship export of Portugal’s culinary culture.

Conclusion

What makes the history of the egg tart so fascinating is that the same dessert arrived in Asia by two entirely different paths. The Hong Kong egg tart did not descend from the Portuguese tradition at all, but from the British custard tart; and the Portuguese-style egg tart that made Macao famous was, of all things, invented by a British pharmacist. Portugal’s Pastel de Nata, Hong Kong’s dan tat (蛋撻), and Macao’s egg tart differ in name, texture, and taste. A modest recipe conceived to make use of leftover egg yolks in a monastery traveled along colonial trade routes across continents, and in each new cultural context — shaped by local tastes, local ingredients, and local history — it became an entirely different dessert. The history of the egg tart is a small but striking example of how a single food, as it crosses borders and cultures, can be transformed beyond all recognition of its origins.