By Michael Kinney
One of the great things about being able to travel and see different parts of the world is feasting on local cuisine.
When I started to plan a December trip to Portugal and Spain, one of the first things I investigated was the types of food I would come face to face with. Right off the bat, I realized that despite their location in Europe, the two neighbors not only had different diets from each other, but they also had varying tastes within their own borders.
This excited me but also presented a challenge. I didn’t want to say I had one meal in Lisbon and try to say to represented Sintra or the beach town Cascia. The same went for Spain.
So I chose to take one single solitary dish and one dish only from each area I visited. For better or worse that single dish was going to stand on business by itself be the face of an entire region/city.
I will publish a few different reviews over the next few weeks that focus on one dish. I am starting with the iconic Francesinha.
On my third day in Portugal, I made a quick day trip over to Porto. It was close enough (1 hour) and cheap enough ($47) to hop on a flight and be there before the sun had fully risen.
I sent out the bat signal for a Bolt, the European version of Uber and Lyft, and had them take me to Livraria Lello: The World’s Most Beautiful Bookstore (actually name). On the ride over I asked the driver what is one local food I need to try while I am in town. Without hesitation, he blurted out Francesinha (Little French Woman).
He then proceeded to give me a breakdown of why even though the Francesinha can be found throughout the country, the original version was created in Porto and only they do it right.
So, after a long day exploring and travel photography (michaelkinney.smugmug.com), I began to look for a place to eat along a busy and crowded Porto Port.
Almost every restaurant had a sign that stated they served Francesinha. But either the lines were too long or they were set up to look like an American beach diner. I finally found a spot near the end of the boardwalk that was run by an old Portuguese couple who seemed to be exasperated every time I asked a question. I figured if anybody knew how to make an authentic Francesinha, it would have to be them.
What they brought back startled me. In fact, I was scared.
Recipes vary depending on where you eat in Porto but generally, it includes steak, sausage, and ham just for starters. There were two other pieces of meat that I couldn’t make out right away and it was all stuffed between thick slices of white bread.
But what gives it its unique look is that it is drenched with melted cheese, blistering hot tomato sauce, and sometimes beer. It then can be topped with a sunny-side-up egg.
It looked like something a college frat student would put together after a hard night of drinking and rejection.
But as bad as it looked, it tasted even worse. None of the meats made sense together. I was in total shock when on my fourth bite I realized one of the ingredients was a hot dog.
This was also when I came to realize, the idea of seasoning has not made its way to Europe yet. With no salt, pepper or paprika to be found, I couldn’t even mask the taste or pretend it was something else. It stood on business (my new favorite saying), by itself.
The Francesinha’s one redeeming quality is that it was filling. Despite not finishing the entire meal, I didn’t eat the rest of the day.
So, while I can’t envision myself ever ordering the Francesinha ever again, I will give it a slight pass due to the price ($14) and its ability to sustain a person for an entire day. But it is a very small pass since I really do have a hard rule about enjoying my food.
If I were to give it an overall grade, it would be C-. I am hoping I just chose the wrong eatery and it can actually be made better. But I doubt it.
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