The story
Francesinha, meaning little French girl, is Porto's answer to the croque-monsieur. It is credited to Daniel Silva, a Portuguese emigrant who had lived in France and Belgium and, once home, set out to adapt the French toasted sandwich to local tastes. In 1953 he served his version at A Regaleira, a restaurant on Rua do Bonjardim, swapping in Portuguese meats and covering the stack with melted cheese and a hot sauce. Later cooks piled on more, and today it usually holds steak, ham and linguiça sausage under a spicy tomato and beer sauce, with a fried egg and chips. It spread from Porto across Portugal.
Also known as francesinha do Porto, francesinha especial.
On the Meridish menu
Francesinha was the main course on menu No. 26 on October 26, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A meat-stacked sandwich under melted cheese and a spicy beer-tomato sauce, eaten with a knife and fork. A returning emigrant reworked the croque-monsieur here in 1953.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
