The Portuguese cuisine has countless gastronomic treasures, but, in my opinion, one of the most delicious is the Francesinha in Porto style.
This typical dish from the city of Porto consists of a sandwich that can be made in different ways, but which normally consists of two slices of bread, fresh different sausage, beef steak and ham.
On top of this delight for the heart, there is a cover almost entirely made with cheese that, in the oven, is melted
But the sauce is certainly its most important component, we would even say: Francesinha’s soul! There are several variants of the sauce, but usually, at least tomatoes, beer and chilli are used. As Francesinha’s secret is in the sauce, there are numerous variants, such as, for example, seafood sauce, liqueurs, Port wine, whiskey or various spices.
The icing on the cake is the fried egg on top of this tower of bread, meat and cheese. In addition, there are french fries and very fresh beer.
But what is the story of this dish so good for our taste (and a little less for our cholesterol)?
Francesinha is as traditional dish emblematic and popular, from a city remarkable as Porto, so it is natural that different stories arise around the history of the famous Porto snack.
Some argue that the author of this creation was Daniel David Silva who, after having emigrated to France, made a national product, based on all the influences of the Parisian city, inspired in particular by croque-monsieur or madame (with egg on the top).
In 1953, approximately, Francesinha appeared in the restaurant A Regaleira, located on Rua do Bonjardim in Porto. The establishment advertises that the remarkable snack was created in its space.
The legend that remains for the story is that the name “Francesinha” is due to this being a snack with piri-piri and, therefore, spicy, a characteristic that Daniel David Silva would relate to French women, for him the more “spicy” .
Francesinha’s success is such that it is easy to be tempted to put the name “Francesinha” to the most varied inventions: with different types of meat, with shrimp, vegetarians, among others. Thus, there is diversity and, although some variants can be considered legitimate, others should be considered a true heresy and blasphemy.
I defend the classic one, mandatory meal for me when I stay in Porto. And you? When are you coming to visit Porto with me and try a francesinha?