Bifana () is a classic
Portuguese sandwich eaten all across the country.
According to
''Taste Atlas'', the dish may have first been created in
Vendas Novas, but it is served throughout the country.
The typical ingredients are
pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
chops, steak, or loin, pounded thin or sliced, simmered with
garlic
Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...
and
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
, then sandwiched inside heated bread.
There are regional variations which include marinating and grilling or roasting the pork and making the sauce separately and drizzling onto the bun and/or serving with
mustard
Mustard may refer to:
Food and plants
* Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment
* Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment
** Mustard seed, small, round seeds of ...
,
hot sauce
Hot sauce is a type of condiment, seasoning, or salsa (sauce), salsa made from chili peppers and other ingredients. Many commercial varieties of Mass production, mass-produced hot sauce exist.
History
Humans have used chili peppers and other ho ...
or sauteed onions.
This dish is typically served at festivals that take place all over the country. It is typically viewed as a cheap, fast and easy meal. It is generally seen as a popular dish; McDonalds serves a version called McBifana.
In the north of Portugal, the sandwich is usually served using shredded pork and a sauce, while in the south it is a lighter sandwich which uses a pork cutlet and a light marinade.
The bifana has seen international adaptation in various European and North American cities, often in Portuguese immigrant communities. These adaptations sometimes modify traditional ingredients to cater to local tastes or ingredient availability, while still maintaining the essential characteristics of the original.
References
Portuguese cuisine
Sandwiches
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