History

The bifana grew up in Vendas Novas in the Alentejo in the early 20th century as roadside fuel for Lisbon-to-Madrid hauliers, the pork tenderloin marinated in garlic, paprika and white wine and griddled to order. It moved into the city after the 1960s as the canonical 2.50-euro working lunch, and O Trevo on Camoes has been most-cited since the 1990s as the textbook Lisbon version on a soft papo-seco bun with yellow mustard.

Common allergens: Gluten

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 15 minTotal 2 hr 30 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 500g pork loin, sliced as thin as possible
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp piri-piri or chilli flakes
  • 100ml dry white wine
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 papo seco rolls
  • Olive oil and Portuguese mustard to serve

Method

  1. Whisk garlic, paprika, chilli, white wine and bay leaves into a marinade.
  2. Submerge the pork slices, refrigerate 2 hours minimum, ideally overnight.
  3. Heat a heavy pan with a splash of olive oil until smoking.
  4. Drain the pork, sear in batches 90 seconds per side. Don't crowd the pan.
  5. Spoon a little of the marinade into the pan, let it bubble and reduce 30 seconds.
  6. Pile the seared pork into a halved papo seco. Spread mustard on the top half.

Tip from the editors. Slice the pork while still half-frozen for the thinnest cuts. Three minutes total cooking is the maximum, or it goes leathery.

Where to eat bifana

Bifana in Lisbon

As Bifanas do Afonso ★ 4.5

Portuguese€BaixaTue-Sat 07:30-19:30, closed Sun-Mon

As Bifanas do Afonso on Lisbon's Rua da Madalena: bifanas at 2.50 euros, stand-up counter, beer in a sleeve, no chairs, lunch in five minutes flat.

Try: Bifana, marinated pork sandwich

Rua da Madalena 146, 1100-322 Lisboa

O Trevo ★ 4.4

Portuguese€chiadoMon-Sat 07:00-22:00, closed Sunday

O Trevo on Lisbon's Praca Luis de Camoes: 2.80-euro bifanas with cheese, a stand-up beer with each, the local consensus for cheap Lisbon eats.

Try: Bifana with cheese

Praca Luis de Camoes 48, 1200-243 Lisboa

Casa das Bifanas ★ 4.2

Portuguese€BaixaMon-Sat 06:30-24:00, closed Sunday

Casa das Bifanas in Lisbon's Baixa: a long counter on Praca Dom Joao da Camara, bifanas at three euros with sharp mustard and a Sagres in a sleeve glass.

Try: Bifana with sharp mustard, 3 euros

Praca Dom Joao da Camara 4, 1100-198 Lisboa

Bifana in Porto

Conga Casa das Bifanas ★ 4.4

Portuguese€Mon-Sat 11:30-22:00; Sun closed

Conga on Rua do Bonjardim in Porto turns out 2.50 euro bifanas with mustard and piri-piri, a counter where two sandwiches and an imperial cost under 10 euros.

Try: Bifana (slow-cooked pork sandwich)

Rua do Bonjardim 318, 4000-115 Porto

Cervejaria do Carmo ★ 4.0

BreweryWorking cervejaria with house lager€€Mon-Thu 16:00-24:00, Fri-Sat 14:00-02:00Daily 11:30-24:00

Cervejaria do Carmo on Rua do Carmo in Porto pours a working-class house lager, sells imperials all day and runs the city's most enduring seafood petiscos.

Rua do Carmo 21, 4050-011 Porto

More cities are in research. Want bifana covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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