Vaccarum Francesinhas and Tapas in Porto, Portugal

There are several dishes that are must have in Portugal and the Francesinha is surely one of them. What I did not know is that this decadent sandwich that originated in Porto at the beginning of the 1950s is inspired from the French Croque Monsieur. The story says that Daniel David de Silva, upon returning from France and Belgium tried to adapt the French sandwich to Portuguese palate. The result is a heart attack on a plate: two pieces of bread lightly toasted, steak, ham and sausage, smothered by a tomato and beer sauce that can be spicy, cheese (lot of it inside and on top) and, as an option, a fried egg; all of this served with French fries that you can dip in the sauce. I tried it at Vaccarum Francesinhas and Tapas, downtown Porto. Definitely, the first bite is a mouthful: you first get the taste of the sauce and the cheese, and then the layers of meat, the steak having the most recognizable texture. Now, maybe people in Porto would tell me that the one at Vaccarum Francesinha and Tapas is not the best, knowing that it seems every restaurant has its own version, But I found it comforting and quite good. However, it is not something I would eat on a hot day for sure…or maybe I would…Anyway, if you are in Portugal, you cannot not try this dish! And just so you know, Francesinha means :Little French Girl” in Portuguese.