#littlefrenchie

Trying a Portuguese Classic for the First Time

“Would you like to try this? It’s free!”

Whilst at the St Albans Christmas Market, Jade and I were surprised to be offered a generous portion of something neither of us had ever heard of. What we initially thought was a slice of lasagne turned out to be a portion of Francesinha, a traditional Portuguese sandwich originating from the city of Porto.

For Hugo, the gentlemen who kindly offered us a sample, his stall ‘Little Frenchie’ is currently a weekend hobby that he hopes he can take to the next level. “The name of the dish translates to ‘Little French girl’, so I thought, ‘call the stand ‘Little Frenchie’.”

In the chilly air, the dish was a welcome injection of warmth and comfort. Between two slices of cheese-topped bread are layers of ham, pastrami, chorizo and sausage and ladeled over the top of everything is a delicious beer-based sauce, the recipe of which Hugo says is a secret. Come on Hugo, we promise we won’t tell anyone!

It tasted as good as it looks & sounds. It’s such a simple concept, but it’s executed really well. Despite the slice swimming in sauce, the bread wasn’t soggy and kept its intregrity. Jade and I scoffed the lot and appreciated it as a perfect pick-me-up, especially in the cold, wintry air. The UK isn’t short of places to grab a sandwich. Heck, we invented them! But Hugo is offering a variation that he quite rightly says isn’t very common and, luckily, is also really tasty.