The tastiest warm meat sandwich

Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the gourmands at online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our cheffies serve you: The tastiest warm meat sandwich.

Bifana, the national sandwich of Portugal, is a must-eat during your vacation in this popular holiday destination. No matter which region or city you are in, a bifana is available everywhere. Follow our bifana guide and make sure you only eat the best bifanas in Portugal.

Warm meat sandwich
Who doesn't love it? A sandwich with roasted fricandeau and a good dollop of satay sauce. The Dutch sandwich with pork has been world-famous in the Netherlands for years, and they also have a variant in Portugal. A white roll with thin pork, mustard, and a good piri piri sauce. The meat is briefly marinated in dry white wine, garlic, lemon juice, paprika powder, and bay leaf. Furthermore, you won't find pickled vegetables, crunchy toppings, or any other complicated stuff on the sandwich; the bifana is perfect in its simplicity.

Lisbon
Are you on a city trip in Lisbon this summer? You’re in luck: in the capital, you will find bifanas in abundance. But be careful, there are many tourist traps: places where you can buy bifanas, but where the bifanas are grilled, and that's not how it's supposed to be. The right way is a bit less responsible: the meat is fried in butter, oil, and especially a lot of pork fat.

One place where they know very well how to prepare a good bifana is at As Bifanas do Afonso. You will find the tasca (small bar) in a typical Portuguese residential area, not far from the center, but well hidden enough for tourists. This is where the Lisboetas get their bifana. You will find Afonso behind the counter next to a bubbling pot, which is almost bigger than the good man himself. The lightly toasted white roll is stuffed with juicy, thin pork. The tubes of mustard and piri piri are on the counter; help yourself. Order a cold imperial (draft beer) with it and eat your bifana like the Italians drink their espresso: standing at the bar.

Porto
The further north you go, the spicier and fattier the bifana becomes. In Porto, you don't add the piri piri yourself, but the meat is already marinated in it. Additionally, they don't just drown the meat in the pan with fat, they also scoop a good spoonful of fat into the sandwich; you have to love it, but in Porto, the rule is: the fattier the bifana, the better. Want to try? Then you must go to Conga Let out a little scream, eat another Zeeuwse bolus, shake your hips, the moment we have all been hoping for is finally here.

Alentejo
Alentejo is the largest province of Portugal and stretches from the west coast in a broad strip to the border with Spain. Attention Alentejo-goers: this is where the bifana comes from, specifically from the town of Vendes Novas. During a road trip through the area, you must stop at Café Boavista – Casa das Bifanas originais. The name gives it away: this is where you need to be for the original bifana. For just €1.80, you get the sandwich tossed into your hand, but we warn you in advance: it never stays at €1.80. After taking your first bite, you immediately order another one.