The name The Creamy Crow and its logo (designed by the Portuguese illustrator Brígida Machado) are inspired by the symbol of Lisbon, the birth of creation of these sweet pastries. 

The symbol of Lisbon presents a silhouette of a ship with two crows sitting on its sides. Crows have been the symbol of Lisbon since 1173 when they escorted the body of Saint Vincent after he was martyred by the Romans. According to the legend, Portugal's first King, D. Afonso Henriques (1139 -1185), made a vow to protect Saint Vincent remains as long as the Saint would guide him to victory on the siege of Lisbon in 1147. After succeeding in his mission, the king was truthful to his word, and St. Vincent’s body was exhumed in 1173 and brought by ship to the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon. Word has it that crows accompanied the sailing trip and still watch the Monastery to this day. 

The first custard tarts were made in the Heironynite Monastery and only the monks had access to this delicacy. However, after the liberal revolution of 1820 all convents and monasteries were shut down and workers and clergy were expelled. In 1834, in order to make a living, someone from the monastery offered for sale these pastries to the small general store that was situated next door to the monastery. The pastries became a huge success among the locals and travelers passing through the Port of Lisbon. In 1837, the baking of the custard tarts (following the ancient secret recipe) began in what is today the Pastéis de Belém. Nowadays you can find several coffeeshops in Portugal and abroad selling variations of these famous custard tarts.

My mission is to bring to Seattle a taste of these sweet, flaky and creamy custard tarts that are full of History and flavor. 

 

Fun fact: Most sweets in Portugal, and these custard tarts are no exception, use several egg yolks in their recipe. There is a reason for that: the nuns used the egg whites to starch and thicken their habits and also for the making of sacramental breads (communion wafers), leaving the egg yolks to the nuns and monks to incorporate it in their recipes.