- Walk into any café in Porto, Portugal, and you'll likely see one common thing on the menu: the Francesinha.
- This indulgent sandwich now has many variations, but they all include a stack of ham, steak, sausage, and cheese, covered in a tangy tomato sauce.
- It was invented in the 1950s at a Porto restaurant called A Regaleira, when a French customer asked for a croque monsieur. Francesinha translate to "little French lady" in Portuguese.
- We visit Cafe Santiago, who makes Francesinhas beloved by locals and tourists alike, to see how the iconic sandwich is made.
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Following is a transcript of the video.
Ham, cheese, mortadella, sausage, steak, egg. All smothered in a tangy tomato sauce. This is the Francesinha. And walk into any restaurant or café in Porto, Portugal, and you're likely to see it on the menu.
Francesinha in Portuguese means "little French lady." So, how did it become a local sensation? Today, every Porto café has a slightly different take on the Francesinha, but locals have a favorite: Café Santiago.
Customer: My hotel specifically recommended to come here, to Café Santiago. They said it is the best Francesinha and to try it if we wanted local food. There's so many different flavors throughout. Looks a little overwhelming, but once you cut into it, it's perfect.
Narrator: Café Santiago has three locations, one busier than the others.
Narrator: The restaurant prepares at least 500 foundations every day before they start taking orders. The grill looks like an industrial production line, and it all happens in front of the customers. First, the foundations are placed on the grill, followed by thin pieces of steak topped with slices of ham and cheese. Finally, a second slice of bread is put on top, followed by a sunny-side-up egg. Everything is wrapped in cheese that has a special semicircular cut to perfectly accommodate the egg.
At Café Santiago, the sauce recipe is a family secret guarded by Rui Pereira's mom, Isabel. She personally prepares it every morning in the same kitchen to guarantee it will taste the same in the three different locations. A blend of alcoholic beverages is the essence.
Narrator: This group loved the sauce. They were worried about something else, though.
Customer: How many calories does it have? I am curious to know it.
Customer: It was delicious, amazing, perfect.
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