A pork loin steak in a spiced wine marinade, stuffed into a crusty papo-seco roll. The Braga street version uses a more vinegar-forward sauce than the Lisbon original.

The bifana is Portugal's national sandwich, but each city runs a different version. The Braga bifana at BLB Bifanaria in Largo da Senhora a Branca uses a wine-and-vinegar sauce with more chilli heat than the Lisbon variety. The shop stays open late on weekends and is the student-quarter institution for a late snack after a night out. The bifana's association with Braga deepened as the university expanded from 1973, making it the defining budget meal of student life in the city.

Where to eat Bifana (Braga-style) in Braga

1 editor pick for Bifana (Braga-style) in Braga, ranked by editorial score. All Braga signature dishes · Bifana (Braga-style) across every city.

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Make it at home

Serves 42 hr 20 minEasy

Ingredients

  • 4 pork loin steaks, about 120g each, thinly pounded
  • 4 papo-seco rolls or crusty white rolls
  • For the marinade: 200ml white wine, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 4 garlic cloves minced, 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon piri-piri or chilli flakes, 1 bay leaf, salt and black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons lard or oil for frying
  • Mustard to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Combine all marinade ingredients. Submerge the pork steaks and marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
  2. Heat lard in a wide pan over high heat. Remove pork from marinade (reserve marinade) and fry 2 minutes per side until browned.
  3. Pour the reserved marinade into the pan and reduce over medium heat for 3 minutes until it thickens and coats the pork.
  4. Split the rolls and heat them briefly in the pan or under a grill. Stuff each with a pork steak and spoon the sauce over generously.
  5. Serve immediately while the roll is still warm.

Editor tip. Use the thinnest possible pork loin cuts; the bifana is a thin, saucy sandwich not a thick pork chop. Pound each steak to under 1cm thickness before marinating.

Common allergens: Gluten.