From France with carb-love
Turns out, francesinhas are the illegitimate love child of Portuguese and French cooking.
They’re vaguely related to the croque monsieur, France’s own artery-clogging sandwich. A story of European immigration, the francesinha came about when a Portuguese man came home after time in France.
Daniel da Silva, returning to southern Portugal, decided to adapt his favourite French carb-bomb for his local region’s taste. While his native Alentejo wasn’t appreciative of his creation (maybe they were on the Atkins diet), the Porto palate welcomed the francesinha with open arms and mouths.
Today, the “little Frenchie” is synonymous with Porto’s cuisine, and a point of local pride.
Every bar has its own signature version, loaded up with their own secret sauce. You can have it with or without the egg and fries, but who are you kidding. If you’re going to try to eat this mammoth of a sandwich, there’s no point trying to keep it diet-friendly.
Wash it down with a crisp local beer and you have yourself a nap-inducing lunch fit for the gods.
From France with carb-love
Turns out, francesinhas are the illegitimate love child of Portuguese and French cooking.
They’re vaguely related to the croque monsieur, France’s own artery-clogging sandwich. A story of European immigration, the francesinha came about when a Portuguese man came home after time in France.
Daniel da Silva, returning to southern Portugal, decided to adapt his favourite French carb-bomb for his local region’s taste. While his native Alentejo wasn’t appreciative of his creation (maybe they were on the Atkins diet), the Porto palate welcomed the francesinha with open arms and mouths.
Today, the “little Frenchie” is synonymous with Porto’s cuisine, and a point of local pride.
Every bar has its own signature version, loaded up with their own secret sauce. You can have it with or without the egg and fries, but who are you kidding. If you’re going to try to eat this mammoth of a sandwich, there’s no point trying to keep it diet-friendly.
Wash it down with a crisp local beer and you have yourself a nap-inducing lunch fit for the gods.
