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| Francesinhas |
Francesinha (meaning Little Frenchie in Portuguese) is a sandwich originally from Porto, made with a combination of bread, wet-cured ham slices, fresh chipolata sausage, steak or roast meat and covered with melted cheese and a hot (somewhat spicy) thick tomato-beer sauce. Usually is served with French fries and complimented with a draught beer.
History
“Francesinha” was invented in the 1960s by a Portuguese emigrant (Daniel David Silva) that lived some years in France. It is said that when returned he tried to adapt the French toast “croquet-monsieur” to the Portuguese taste.
Where to eat the best “francesinha” in Porto?
Porto and its surroundings is the traditional area of the “Francesinha” with many restaurants and cafés serving it. Locals will have their favourite restaurant with the best “Francesinha” in town, typically arguing about the quality of the sauce (a secret recipe that varies from restaurant to restaurant) and the quality of the meats.
My preferences are:
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| Francesinha (©Lucy Pepper) |
REFERENCES to Francesinha in travel sites
«Though it means “little French girl” or “little frenchie” in Portuguese, there’s nothing little about a Francesinha. They did get the French part right – the sandwich is a take on the French croque monsieur…on steroids. One tale claims it originated in Porto with a Portuguese emigrant who returned from France to his native land and adapted the French grilled ham and cheese for Portuguese tastes. Apparently that meant joining two slices of bread around some combination of steak, sausage and ham, crowning it with melted cheese and dousing it with a tomato-beer sauce. Adding fries and/or egg makes it “especial.”»
«There’s nothing dainty or gourmet about Porto’s culinary claim to fame, which makes this one a welcome break from many of the other delicacies on this list. Indeed, Francesinha – a booming, stacked sandwich with layer upon layer of melted cheese, cut chipolata sausages, crusted ham slices, steaks and other meaty treats besides – is a hearty meal of epic proportions, served up with a generous pile of French fries and doused in a trademark sauce. If you’re looking for the finest that Portugal’s northern city has to offer, then check out Café Santiago, or the Cufra Grill by the sea.»
Source: Europe’s Top 10 Local Flavours and Where to Find Them - Francesinha in Porto (The Culture Trip)
«Kind of like a shiny lasagna floating in oil, the Francesinha's made of bread, ham, linguiça, fresh chipolata sausage, and steak -- all covered in melted cheese and drenched in a beer sauce. The sauce is almost always secret (beer being the one constant ingredient) and diners are known to rate sammie -serving restaurants based entirely on the quality of their Francesinha. Also known as “Little Frenchie”, the Francesinha was created in the 1960s by a French/ Belgian emigrant trying to invent a Portuguese Croque Monsieur.»
«Se buscan valientes. Olvídate de un sándwich ligerito, la francesinha (francesita, en español) es contundente. Inventado por Daniel David Silva, un emigrante retornado de Francia, en 1950, se ha convertido en un símbolo del país y una parada obligatoria en cualquier visita portuguesa. Una experiencia inspirada en el croque-monsieur (comparte con él el pan, el jamón y el queso), montada con tiento, regada con su característica salsa secreta (que incluye cerveza, tomate y picante) y acompañada de patatas fritas. »
«Portugal’s proud mess of a sandwich, the Francesinha, is a savoury and juicy sandwich stuffed with the meat of your choice – often ham or sausage – smothered in a beer and whisky-based sauce, and topped with cheese and an egg. You’ll be full for days, but you won’t be sorry.»
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I think the "Little Frenchie" (Francesinha) is really one of the best meals to eat in Porto, and actually, Porto is one of the best places to eat this specialty, so I think this is indeed one of the things to enjoy when visiting Porto. My favorite Francesinha is probably the one from "Verso Em Pedra", it's big in everything: size (almost double size), flavour, spice, and along with it on calories as well, but the price is very reasonable. One curiosity about this place is that they have a mega-Francesinha which is about the size of 6-8 Francesinhas, which costs 35€, and if you eat it alone within an hour you get it for free and you get to be grand prize winner, which is a Gibson electric guitar. But if you fail you pay its full price and they take a photo of you for the shame wall of everyone who tried and failed, which is seen at the left after entering the place :) . There is paid parking in front of it and it's located near Hard Club, a great place for concerts in Porto: https://goo.gl/maps/WtreAtSrFcS2 . There are Francesinhas in other cities, but they pale in comparison to the ones from Porto, this is indeed the city to get the real deal, and that it's common knowledge in the whole country ;)
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