The particular example of a Francesinha sandwich chosen as today’s “Edibles & Potables” featured photo was the most humble of many that I consumed in Porto, Portugal during a visit in 2018, but no less delicious for its simplicity.
Can someone in metro Louisville locally please make a house specialty out of this?
Porto’s francesinha sandwich is a gut buster, by Kevin Gould (The Guardian)
Anyone aiming to polish off even half of one of these needs to be pretty forceful, for this little Frenchie is a tower of power. A doorstep sandwich layered with pork, then smoked sausage, then bacon, and topped off with a medium-rare beefsteak, it is finished with a fried egg and covered in a thick coat of cheesy sauce. It is heated through and then drenched in a murky dark sauce. A mountain of french fries is served on the side. Health food it’s not.
On the topic of sandwiches, earlier this the week, I told you that hot dogs and burgers are examples of such.
They’re all sandwiches, but only some possess the characteristics to render them into burgers or hot dogs.
Gastro Obscura is here to argue against this position.
Do burgers count? Do hot dogs count? Merriam-Webster says “yes,” but Gastro Obscura is going with “no,” because as podcaster and author John Hodgman maintains, while a hot dog, “really does look a lot like a sandwich… but just because a thing resembles a thing, or even shares similar cultural or literal genetic DNA, that does not make the two things the same thing.”
Sophistry, I say, but no matter. While I’ve visited exactly none of the sandwich dispensaries listed herein, the photos are enough to prompt symphonic stomach growling — and I’ve just eaten a bagel with lox and cream cheese (my favorite).
Is a bagel a sandwich? It is the way I mold it. To each their own, and let the survey begin.
16 of the Most Epic Sandwiches Around the Planet, by Diana Hubbell (Gastro Obscura)
According to lore, the sandwich was invented in 1742 when a compulsive gambler was on a 24-hour hot streak and refused to break for meals. Now this may be a tall tale, but there’s certainly no denying that today, the sandwich continues to dominate the “portable food” category. Get a glimpse at the many forms of the sandwich today.
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“Edibles & Potables” is Food & Dining Magazine’s Sunday slot for news and views that range beyond our customary metropolitan Louisville coverage area, as intended to be food (and drink) for thought.
Previously …
Edibles & Potables: Airport pricing, explained though not forgiven
