A bifana is a traditional Portuguese sandwich made up of thin cutlets of pork loin that are marinated, fried in lard, and served in a crusty bread roll. They are often served with plenty of yellow mustard. They are featured in every Lisbon food guide, and perhaps the most popular of the Portuguese street foods. I already taught you how to make a Porto Style Bifana before, today you will learn how to make them the Lisbon way!
The Authentic Bifana from Vendas Novas
Although closely linked to Lisbon, the bifana wasn’t created in Lisbon exactly, but in a town in the Alentejo called Vendas Novas. This small town is about one hour from Lisbon and it is totally worth a visit just for its bifana cafes and restaurants.
The bifanas found in Vendas Novas are the style of bifana you’ll find in central and southern Portugal. It usually comprises of pork cutlets marinated with white wine, garlic, bay leaves, fresh thyme, paprika, and chilli powder. Afterwards, the marinated cutlets are lightly fried in lard and butter and cooked in the leftover marinade liquid, creating a rich sauce. They are then placed inside a papo seco, a Portuguese crusty but fluffy bread roll, with a spoon of the sauce on top, and finally served with a dollop of yellow mustard.
Lisbon Style Bifanas Recipe
For this recipe you will need 4 slices of pork cutlets with a total weight of approx. 400g. The rule of thumb is one cutlet per sandwich, but I sometimes use two depending on how small they are. In Portugal you can buy pre sliced pork specific for bifanas, if not you can simply ask the butcher for pork loin slices of roughly 1cm thickness. For the marinade, you need your classic Portuguese marinade ingredients: white wine, bay leaves, garlic, fresh thyme, paprika powder, chili powder, and salt and pepper.
You will also need butter, lard, your papo secos or equivalent, and yellow mustard. In Portugal they are served with your standard American yellow mustard, but if I’m making them at home I will always go with a strong English mustard.
The first step is to prepare the marinade. All you have to do is combine the pork cutlets with the white wine, bay leaves, garlic, paprika powder, chili powder, salt and pepper. You then let it marinade for a minimum of 2 hours but preferably overnight.
The next step is to place a deep skillet over medium heat and melt both the butter and the lard, and gently fry the cutlets on both sides for a total of 5 minutes. The marinade goes in and you let it simmer, turning the cutlets now and then, until it reduces a little and the garlic cloves are fully cooked.
Now it’s time to assemble your bifana. Cut your bread rolls in half and spread some mustard on both sides, place your cutlet inside with a spoon or two of the sauce. Close it, and savour it with a cold Super Bock or a glass of white wine!
How to Make Authentic Bifanas
Lisbon Style Bifanas – Traditional Portuguese Pork Sandwich
4
servings2
hours20
minutes410
kcalA bifana is a traditional Portuguese sandwich made up of thin cutlets of pork loin that are marinated, fried in lard, and served in a crusty bread roll.
Ingredients
4 4 Pork Loin Cutlets
180 ml 180 White Wine
3 3 Garlic Cloves
1 tsb 1 Paprika Powder
1/3 tsp 1/3 Chili Powder
Black Pepper
2 2 Sprigs of Thyme
1 1 Bay Leaf
25 g 25 Lard
25 g 25 Butter
4 4 Bread Rolls
Yellow Mustard
Directions
- Start by placing the pork in a container or Ziploc bag. Peel the garlic and give it a gentle crush with the back of a knife. Place it with the pork alongside the other marinade ingredients: white wine, paprika, chili powder, the thyme sprigs, the bay leaf, salt and pepper. Mix it well to combine, place it in the fridge for 2 hours but ideally overnight.
- Place a deep skillet over medium heat, once it’s hot enough, add the lard and the butter, allow it to melt. Add in the pork loins, let it fry for about 5 minutes. Flip the pork, add in the leftover marinade with the garlic, let it reduce for about 10 minutes or until the garlic cloves are soft enough to be squeezed with a fork.
- Cut open the bread, spread a thin layer of mustard on both sides, add in one cutlet, spoon the sauce on top, close it. Enjoy it with a cold Super Bock or a glass of white wine!
Have you tried this recipe? Let me know in the comments!