🥪 Bifana
A bifana is a Portuguese sandwich of thin pork slices marinated in garlic, white wine and paprika, then cooked in their own juices and stuffed into a crusty white roll called papo seco. The meat is tender and garlicky, and the bread soaks up some of the tangy, peppery sauce. It is eaten standing at the counter as a quick lunch or late-night snack, often with a dash of chilli sauce.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g pork loin, cut into very thin slices
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 200 ml dry white wine
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt and pepper
- 4 papo seco bread rolls
- Piri-piri chilli sauce to taste
Method
- Pound the pork slices thin and marinate them with the garlic, wine, paprika, bay leaf, salt and pepper for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Heat the oil in a large pan, lift the meat out of the marinade and brown it quickly on both sides.
- Pour in the marinade and simmer for 10–15 minutes until the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced.
- Split the rolls, dip the cut sides in the sauce and fill with the pork. Add chilli sauce to taste and serve hot.
How to make it lighter
- Use well-trimmed pork loin and skim the fat from the pan sauce before dipping the bread.
- Choose a smaller roll or eat the bifana with a salad instead of fries to keep the meal light.
- Brown the meat in 1 tsp of oil instead of 1 tbsp, or skip it — 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
History
The bifana is a classic of Portuguese cafés and snack bars, and the town of Vendas Novas in the Alentejo is often named as its home. Today it is sold all over Portugal, with Lisbon and Porto each having their own favourite way of cooking the meat.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →