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The foodie traveller on … why Porto’s francesinha sandwich is a gut buster

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Don’t be thrown by the dainty name and French origins, the ‘little Frenchie’ is a Porto institution – a doorstep layered with pork, smoked sausage, bacon, beefsteak and topped with a fried egg and cheese

Porto’s iconic, belly-buster sandwich is the francesinha. The clue is in the name, literally “little Frenchie”. In the 1950s and 60s, António Salazar’s harsh, myopic dictatorship turned millions of Portuguese into migrants: by 1970 – when the population of Lisbon numbered barely 800,000 – at least 700,000 of them were living in France. As well as money, the migrants sent home elements of French culture, and Portuenses took the croque monsieur to their hearts.

But as with most diasporic remittances, the classic French toastie was adapted, and the meagre croque became the francesinha – no longer a moderate-sized snack, but big and strong, a force to be reckoned with.

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