Pastel is the Brazilian street-food pastry made from a thin dough pocket filled with cheese, meat, or shrimp and fried.
A pastel is formed by placing filling on a sheet of dough, folding it over, sealing the edges, and deep-frying it until crisp. Common fillings include queijo, or cheese; ground beef; chicken; hearts of palm; and shrimp. Vendors often serve it with sugar-cane juice at open-air markets called feiras livres.
The pastry is generally linked to Japanese immigrant communities in Brazil, especially during the twentieth century. It is thought to have been adapted from Chinese-style fried pastries and became popular through market stalls and neighborhood snack bars.
Brazilian pastel differs from the sweet custard dessert known as pastel de nata, which is Portuguese. In Brazil, the unqualified word pastel usually refers to this savory, fried pastry, although sweet versions also exist.