Francesinha

Porto, Portugal (invented 1950s by Daniel da Silva, Café Santiago tradition)

Francesinha is Porto's ferociously indulgent sandwich — a layered construction of bread, ham, linguiça sausage, steak or cured meats, and cheese, grilled until the cheese melts and bubbles, then drowned in a beer-and-tomato sauce spiked with piri piri, whisky, and bay leaf. It was created by Daniel da Silva, a Portuguese emigrant inspired by the French croque-monsieur who returned to Porto in the 1950s and created a local, more violent version. The sauce is the defining element: a long-cooked broth of tomato, beer (preferably a dark lager), brandy, whisky, fresh chilli, and stock, reduced until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. The sandwich must be served in the sauce, not beside it — the bread should begin absorbing before it reaches the table. A fried egg on top is mandatory in the traditional Porto style.

Super Bock or Sagres lager served ice-cold beside a francesinha creates a bridge with the beer in the sauce; french fries alongside are so standard they are considered part of the dish.