Pastel de feijão (plural: ''pastéis de feijão'') is a Portuguese crispy dough

pastry Pastry refers to a variety of Dough, doughs (often enriched with fat or eggs), as well as the sweet and savoury Baking, baked goods made from them. The dough may be accordingly called pastry dough for clarity. Sweetened pastries are often descr ...

, filled with a

navy bean The navy bean, haricot bean, Jigna bean, pearl haricot bean, Boston bean, white pea bean, or pea bean is a variety of the common bean (''Phaseolus vulgaris'') native to the Americas, where it was first domesticated. It is a dry white bean that ...

jam. They were first introduced in the town of

Torres Vedras Torres Vedras () is a concelho, municipality in the Portugal, Portuguese district of Lisbon (district), Lisbon, approximately north of the capital Lisbon. It is a strong agricultural region thanks to its vineyards, and has an intense commercial ...

in the early 20th century though its origin may date earlier as it was originally produced by

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

s. It was one of the 38 "characteristic sweets of localities" selected to appear in the ''Exposição Etnografica Portuguesa'' in 1896.

Description

The pastries consist of a dough and enough water to knead, spread very thin and filled with a jam made from beans, sugar, eggs and almonds. They are individually wrapped in cellophane and placed in cardboard boxes, containing 6 cakes. They are also sold by the unit in pastry shops. They are about in diameter.

In Brazil

In Brazil there is a variation of the pastel de feijão, which is salty and filled with black beans, suitable for feijoada, and is very popular in the city of Rio de Janeiro, especially in the neighborhood of Santa Tereza. Besides the feijoada pastel, there are also variations such as the pastel with tropeiro bean filling.

References

{{Portuguese cuisine Portuguese cuisine Portuguese desserts