The Pastel de Nata monoculture
The exponential increase in tourism and the liberalisation of the rental market have caused huge changes to local commerce in Portugal. None other of such changes have affected Fabrico Próprio establishments as the ascension of the Pastel de Nata. Numerous initiatives have contributed to make this pastry, once just one among many, a true Portuguese gastronomic icon, recognised inside and outside the country. The various chains of stores dedicated exclusively to the sale of this cake that sprung up in the last ten years have radically changed the relationship between supply and demand for semi-industrial pastries, leading to the closure of many patisseries, which often have, as an alternative, reduced the diversity of their offer to concentrate on a single, successful product. This section looks at how the monoculture of the Pastel de Nata is a manifestation of the financialization of the economy, as well as the tension between the power of marketing and the quality and originality we should look for, and demand, in local, semi-industrial confectionery products.
