Portugal’s prego gets the perfect pairing

An origin story collab

I first met

Jeffrey Merrihue

way back in the heyday of blogging, when he was running a food-focused platform called Chowzter and I was the restaurant correspondent for Amsterdam. Since then, Amsterdam Foodie still exists (albeit the Instagram and TikTok influencers have clearly outstripped any reputation I used to have) and Chowzter has evolved through a couple of iterations into Xtreme Foodies. Although one thing has never changed: we’re both still obsessed with food!

So when Jeffrey asked me a week ago if I could come up with a wine pairing for his favourite Portuguese sandwich – the humble prego – I agreed. In his “Born Again Series”, he delves into the origin stories behind legendary dishes, collaborates with guest wine experts on their perfect pairing, and even gives a glimpse of what his future parents might look like were they to be inspired by the dish!

You can see Jeffrey’s original post here (and subscribe to Xtreme Foodies, of course) or read on for a short ‘n sweet summary by me.

The Origin Story (by Jeffrey)

TL;DR: A man named Prego popularised the sandwich at Taberna Prego in 1889.

Jeffrey’s explanation:

The prego started as the simplest of sandwiches in the 1880s. At the time it was just beef tenderized with a hammer and drizzled with its own juices. At some point, it became common to pound garlic cloves into the beef. Some say the sandwich was so named because prego means “nail” – but there’s significant written and photographic evidence that the sandwich was created by Manuel Dias Prego in Sintra, Portugal. It became a hit at his restaurant Prego Tavern and evolved into an icon of Portuguese bars.

Manuel Dias Prego outside his tavern

Over the decades, the prego evolved in innumerable ways, including the addition of cheese, fried eggs, mustard and hot sauce. While the exact recipe may be disputed, this version by Portugal.com is a good starting point.

In Lisbon, some say Ramirez is the best place to enjoy a prego but I’d like to try one in its birthplace, Sintra. This sandwich is so simple but, like many of the simplest things in life, sumptuous when done well.

The Pairing (by me)

The humble prego! Beloved affordable lunchtime staple or (in my case) the perfect hangover food. Some say us wine folk should not get hangovers because we remember to spit, but alas that’s a rule I frequently seem to forget. And while you might think beef = red wine, I believe hangover = bubbles. I’m thinking brunch wine: something light and effervescent to cut through the beef fat and butter and provide an airy counterpoint to all that much-needed bread stodge.

A prego I ate at Taberna Lebre in Ericeira (with controversial addition of pickled veg!)

Portugal isn’t well-known internationally for its sparkling wines, but (of course) it has plenty of fantastic bubbles to offer. The Bairrada region – north of Lisbon but south of the Douro Valley, blessed with cooling Atlantic breezes – produces 60% of the country’s sparkling wines and is the obvious choice. Bairrada’s “Espumante” wines are generally made using the traditional method (with secondary fermentation in bottle, just like Champagne), which gives them that lovely creamy mouthfeel to temper the acidity.

Next time you order a prego, try this Primavera Reserve Brut made from 100% native grape Bical: toasty and creamy with bright acidity from citrus and green apples. Perfect hair of the dog wine!