After a long afternoon of volunteer training, I suggested to Paulo that we skip lanche and go directly to dinner. Not just any meal that we could whip up at home, either, it ought to be something that our kitchen was unsuited for, like frango, aka rotisserie chicken. I was also aiming for food that was filling and local and something we hadn’t eaten for a while.
A francesinha ticked all the boxes. Plus, you really need to be hungry if you want to order a francesinha, and that we were.
This mess of a sandwich goes really well with a beer, especially if you do what we did and order spicy sauce on the side. The francesinhas were pretty good on their own, with the right amount of melted cheese, mixed cuts of meat, and not-too-thick bread that held it all together. Paulo dug in first and immediately proclaimed the sauce too plain, which could mean that he’s become much more accustomed to my level of spiciness in all food and molho picante is now a required accompaniment, as much as a beer.
The sauce that you see in the photo looks suspiciously like runny ketchup but don’t be fooled — I greatly dislike ketchup (I’m almost to hate, but not quite there) and don’t miss it as a condiment at all in Portugal. The spicy sauce you see here was not like the typical spicy sauce at all, which is more like tabasco, it was more like homemade salsa (of the Mexican flavour) with coarsely blended vegetables. It was super-delicious and if they’d sold it by the bottle, I would’ve bought one. Alas, I will try to replicate it at home.
I don’t know if it was the hunger or a case of “absence makes the heart grow fonder”, but the francesinhas disappeared in no time. If you’ve never had one but are curious to know what’s inside, check out this description by Portoalities first, and then see their list of suggested places here. I haven’t eaten enough francesinhas to compile a list, but if you are REALLY hungry and want a neighbourhood spot, I would recommend Cunha 2 in Ramalde. And skip two meals before you go.
July 2, 2016
Album: Portugal [Summer 2016]