Beefsteak-Bife
Fried steak is one of the most popular and sought-after quickly prepared lunches in Portugal, be it in restaurants or in the home (especially so in urban areas). The price factor may have curbed the demand somewhat, but steak used to be almost the staple diet of some people - or at least for Sunday lunches, much as the British have their joint.
Steak is called bife in Portugal, pronounced the same as ‘beef’, which clearly indicates its original inspiration. It derives from the British influence and, amusingly, bife is the name given colloquially to the Englishman. Portuguese acqaintances, in the course of conversation, sometimes say: ‘So you are married to a bife?’ This is not intentionally pejorative - it is just a mild slang, if you like, and it is used much less nowadays than was the case years ago. Portuguese people love to give nicknames and fond diminutives to almost everything that lends itself to it - or even if it doesn’t. Referring to steak, for instance, they may say: ‘Vai um bifinho?’ (’Will you have a “little” steak?’) - not meaning a small steak but a lovely one, inferring that it would be a good choice.