Description: Pastel de Chaves is a half-moon shaped pastry product consisting of thinly-layered puff pastry filled with a special prepara-tion of minced veal. It comes in two different sizes, cooked or pre-frozen. When the pastry is cut vertically, it can be seen to consist of very thin sheets, which give it a finely layered appearance. The upper half of the pastry is yellow-golden in colour, contrasting with the lower half, which is slightly moist and darkened by the minced meat. In the middle is the filling, where the different ingredients, notably pieces of meat and onion, can be seen.
Production method:
Prearingthefilling: Know-how is crucial at this stage in determin-ing when the filling has reached an optimal degree of softness and cohesiveness, which is essentially done empirically, on the basis of the baker’s knowledge and experience. Preparing the dough, putting in the filling and giving the pastry its final shape These procedures clearly demonstrate the bakers’ know-how, as a great deal of skill and manual dexterity is required to obtain half-moon shaped pastries of uniform size, with the finely layered appearance and firm, crispy texture that are so characteristic of this product.
Pre - freezing: Once the half-moon shapes are ready, some bakers then pre-freeze them immediately. This is done at the production facilities to avoid unwanted handling and reduce the possibility of microbiological contamination.
Special features: ‘Pastel de Chaves’ can be distinguished from other bakery products by its half-moon shape and finely layered crisp puff pastry, made by hand in the traditional way, and by the texture of the filling, which is thick, soft, moist, succulent and melts in the mouth.
Production area: Municipality of Chaves.
History: ‘Pastel de Chaves’ is the direct result of the know-how required to prepare the puff pastry and the filling, whose ‘history goes back to 1862, when a seller of unknown origin passed through the town of Chaves with a basket containing some unusually shaped pastries, which she did not have in sufficient quantities to meet demand. In order to satisfy the local appetite, Teresa Feliz Barreira, the founder of the Casa do Antigo Pasteleiro, is said to have offered to pay one pound for the recipe for this unique delicacy’ (Revista Unibanco, January/February 2004).
Product specification (pdf)
Producer group
ACISAT - Associação Empresarial do Alto Tâmega
Control and certification body
TRADIÇÃO E QUALIDADE - Assoc. Interprof. Produtos Agro-Alimentares de Trás-os-Montes
Control plan
Control plan (pdf)
Publication in EU official journal
Regulamento (UE) n.º 815/2015 da Comissão – L129 – 27.5.2015
Publicação do pedido de registo (2014/C 461/19) – C461 – 20.12.2014
Publication in the Portuguese official journal
Despacho 13971/2014, de 18 de novembro
Aviso (extrato) 12422/2014, de 7 de novembro
Aviso 15568/2012, de 21 de novembro