Czech dishes for beer. Traditional Czech dishes
The Czech Republic is attractive for tourists at any time of the year. Whether in January or June, you can relax here in a variety of ways, from walking along beautiful streets and visiting many castles to therapeutic visits to resorts. Karlovy Vary, Machovo Lake, Prague Zoo, ski resorts - this is only a small part of the local attractions. From the point of view of gastronomic tourism, this state is also popular. Czech cuisine is distinguished by its simplicity and originality, and most importantly, it is tasty and satisfying. Traditional dishes are still prepared according to ancient recipes, passing on their characteristics from one generation to another.
History of Czech cuisine
The culinary preferences of the Czechs have evolved over hundreds of years. They were greatly influenced by Austrian, German and Hungarian cuisines. The Slavic peoples also contributed their share. All this is due to the geographical location of the country - it is located in the central part of Europe, at the so-called crossroads.
Development of traditional Czech cuisine, like most nationalities, occurred along with the formation of the nation. Bread and meat occupied the main place in Old Bohemian cooking; preference was also given to porridges. They were cooked from oats, millet, buckwheat and even hemp. The meat was boiled, fried and stewed. The main seasonings for these dishes were hemp and sage.
The widespread passion for meat has passed into new dishes; this product forms the basis of all modern culinary delights from the Czechs. The first written recipes, as well as books, began to appear in the 15th century. The next century marks the arrival of dishes from England, Italy, Spain and France to Czech chefs. At the same time, cooking began to differ in the use of all kinds of seasonings.
In the 17th century, pates made from turkey, partridge, crayfish and snails began to play a special role. Among the nobles, the first place still belonged to meat, among the poor - plant foods. In the same century, the famous dumpling, which is still considered the highlight of Czech cuisine, appears. It is a dumpling made from wheat or potato flour. They are formed into balls, boiled in water, and cut into slices when serving.
The subsequent development of national cuisine greatly simplifies it; now on the menu you can find soups, side dishes and meat products prepared in the Russian or Ukrainian style. However, they all have a completely different taste due to the seasonings and sauces used.
Features of Czech cuisine
Traditional Czech dishes are very filling, that is, quite high in calories. In some ways this is a greasy kitchen. An addition is that most dishes are served with flour products. The portions are quite large, you need to take this into account when ordering in a restaurant or cafe. Those who are used to eating little may simply not be able to cope with such sizes. In addition to the tradition of eating meat, Czechs are very fond of fried sausages and sauerkraut. All these are classic dishes of Czech cuisine.
Poultry meat includes chicken, duck and goose; trout and carp are popular among fish. The latter is prepared by the most in a variety of ways. They also love sweets here; not a single feast is complete without them. Here they even make dessert from vermicelli, mixing it with sugar and butter. The use of sauces allows for the rapid absorption of traditionally large portions, and Czechs do not even understand without seasonings have a nice lunch or dinner. Cumin, marjoram, ginger, mustard, dill - all this is in demand among chefs and consumers.
Among drinks, the leading position is, of course, beer. Czech breweries have long gained worldwide fame. The variety of the foamy drink is amazing - it can even be prepared using coffee or chocolate. And some soups are distinguished by the fact that the recipe is based on beer.
Food prices in the republic are generally low. The cost of an average check for lunch in a regular cafe is 100-120 crowns, which is about 230-300 rubles. For a full dinner in a restaurant for two you will need to pay 500-600 Czech crowns. Tipping is usually 10% of the check value, but this is optional. If you are not satisfied with the service for some reason, you can do without a bonus.
Snacks
It is quite interesting that in the Czech Republic they call bread differently - bread and bread. The difference is that the first option is a coarse dark bread, usually with additives. And the second is a white bagel, loaf, bun.
Among appetizers, salads take the lead. The most famous among them is popular far beyond the borders of the country, called Prague. However, it is far from the usual understanding of salad as a light snack - it is a hearty dish containing a lot of meat and vegetables. In traditional Czech recipe includes veal and pork, they must be cut into strips and fried. Other ingredients are onions, apples and cucumbers, which are added to the finished chilled meat. Before serving, be sure to sprinkle it with lemon juice and add mayonnaise or sour cream.
Another hearty salad- Vlash - also consists of roast veal. The second meat ingredient is ham. Meat, ham, apple, boiled potatoes and green peas are mixed and seasoned with mayonnaise. This dish is decorated with green salad and parsley.
Czechs love cabbage. They don’t ignore such a variety as kohlrabi. The vegetable is cut into slices, fried, and then poured with sour cream sauce and paprika and stewed. The result is a rather unusual and tasty dish.
A simple but original version of the Czech omelet includes, in addition to eggs, horseradish. First, fry the eggs in a frying pan as usual, then add the loaf cut into pieces and grated horseradish. This snack is served with absolutely any drink - both coffee and beer.
Since the most common and favorite drink in the Czech Republic is beer, most of the snacks on the menu of any restaurant are served with it. You won’t find such a variety of beer treats in any other country! One of the favorite dishes of local residents is “drowned people,” which literally means “drowned people.” This is what the Czechs call sausages that have been pre-marinated for two weeks. They say that this name came from a story a hundred years ago. A miller named Shamanek Beroun owned, in addition to the mill, his own brewery. It was he who came up with the idea of marinating sausages for better preservation, adding onions and other spices to the marinade. Therefore, his pub became a very popular establishment. Beroun himself drowned while repairing a wheel at a mill, which is why the sausages began to be called that. The presentation of this dish is interesting - the sausage is cut along the center, where vegetables are inserted - tomato, onion, pepper. Sometimes they can be served with cabbage or hot pepper. They are sprinkled with herbs on top. Remember that this is a rather fatty dish, so it goes well with beer.
The brawn familiar to the Slavic people is called tlachenka in the Czech Republic. It is made from pork knuckle and meat by-products. It is served with horseradish, mustard and pickled onions. The Czechs are also famous for their sausages, which came to national cuisine from Germany. This is a very tasty meat product that is grilled until crispy.
Cheeses have a special place in Czech cuisine. Many tourists are advised to try Olomuki cheesecakes. It is necessary to take into account that they are distinguished by a very pungent specific smell; not everyone can withstand it. But those who decide to try it say that such delicacies have a very delicate taste. They are made from sour cottage cheese, which is mixed with salt, filled with the resulting mass into containers and left to mature. You can not only taste them in cafes, but also buy them in almost any Czech store. Curd cheese lovers recommend keeping them warm first and then consuming them - this way they become more tender and tastier.
Hermelin is another type of cheese served as a beer snack. It is a pickled product made from cow's milk. It is distinguished by the presence of mold. The secret of the dish lies in the correct marinade, consisting of black pepper, onion, bay leaf, chili pepper, garlic and cumin. It stays in this mixture for about two weeks. It is often fried in breadcrumbs and served as a hot appetizer.
First meal
As in most countries, the traditional first course is soup. It is prepared here in a variety of ways; one of the favorites among the locals is garlic broth, or garlic broth. Its main ingredient is garlic - a whole head of it is placed here. The dish is prepared based on smoked meats, which are pre-boiled. Then they add potatoes, garlic cut into small pieces, cumin, marjoram and black pepper. Czech chefs recommend not adding all the garlic at once, but portionwise as cooking progresses. This will make the soup more flavorful. It is often served in a plate made from a loaf of bread. Then add one beaten egg. It turns out thicker and does not flow out of the bread. The egg must be added before cooking, pouring in a thin stream and stirring. It should not curl up in large pieces.
Another soup served in bread is the thick potato bramboraka. It is prepared on the basis dried mushrooms. First, the mushrooms are filled with water and allowed to swell. Then mixed in water with onions and potatoes fried in flour. Seasonings include cumin and black pepper; sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.
When studying Czech cuisine, you can find many recipes for making soup with beer. One of these is ginger broth. First, the beef mixture with beer is brought to a boil, and then a mass made from mashed sour cream, eggs and butter is added to it. Before it is ready, it is seasoned with grated ginger. Serve with parsley and lemon slices.
Green vole is sauerkraut soup, simply put, cabbage soup. The difference in the Czech recipe is that cream is added to it. They are pre-fried in a frying pan using flour. It is usually seasoned with ground red Bell pepper, cloves, parika and allspice. Sausage is often added to this soup - then it will be called tsourochka.
Since the Czechs are famous for their love of meat, their favorite soup is goulash soup. A wide variety of game is used for it - beef, chicken, and rabbit. Of course, the greatest demand is beef goulash ny soup. First on meat bones boil the broth. At this time, beef cut into small pieces is fried separately in a frying pan. Then diced potatoes are added to it and stewed along with garlic, cumin and marjoram. This goulash is then poured into the broth. It turns out quite thick rich first dish. Czech chefs often add meat by-products to it.
A soup made from dill and sour milk is called Koprova vole. In a saucepan, mix meat broth, milk, potatoes and onion fried with flour. All this is generously sprinkled with chopped dill. Cumin is usually used as a seasoning. They try to give this dish a slightly sour taste with vinegar or lemon juice.
Another Czech favorite meat soup prepared from meat broth and liver dumplings. They are the main component of this first course. To prepare them White bread soaked in milk and mixed with twisted liver. Then this mass is boiled in water, cut into slices and added to beef broth with potatoes.
The Czechs also prepare borscht, which, like ours, is based on beets. The regular recipe includes all the same ingredients as the Ukrainian counterpart. But Prague borscht is also present on the Czech menu - this is when beets are chopped on a grater and poured with bread kvass. Add butter to the boiling mass and sprinkle with dill and parsley.
You can see that Czech soups are often prepared with the addition of flour, which makes them thicker, because the favorite way to serve first courses is in a loaf of bread. Thick soup will not soften the bread and will not leak from the plate!
Second courses
For main courses, Czechs focus on meat with side dishes. A real brand in the gastronomic diversity of this country can be called a dish called boar's knee. The approximate weight of such a knee is from one to one and a half kilograms - take this into account when ordering. The delicacy is best consumed in big company. Essentially, it is a baked leg of a pig that is pre-marinated in beer. The whole secret of its preparation lies in the correct marinade. The meat is rubbed with garlic, cumin and other seasonings. Then the ginger is cut into pieces and placed on the bottom of the dish. Place pork leg and sliced apples on it. All this is poured with beer. The meat needs to marinate for about a day, so it’s best to start cooking it in the morning so you can fry the leg the next morning. Before sending for frying, it is recommended to cook the meat in this marinade for an hour. At home, the marinated leg is wrapped in foil and placed in the oven for a couple of hours. Cooking time depends on its size. Restaurants often do this on a grill or spit. It is served with pickled cucumbers, stewed cabbage and, of course, beer.
Another national second course is svichkova with sour cream - beef tenderloin, stewed in sour cream sauce. Before frying the beef, it must be stuffed with thin pieces of bacon and rubbed with cumin and pepper. Then you should fry the piece of meat in a frying pan and put it in the oven for half an hour. The preparation of the sauce deserves special attention. First, vegetables are fried - onions, celery and carrots. They add meat broth or water, nutmeg, cinnamon, and then cream or sour cream. This sauce is stewed until the vegetables are ready. Before serving, the meat is cut into pieces and poured with this sauce or stewed in the sauce. The dish is usually served with cranberry or lingonberry jam. Despite the strange combination, it turns out to be tasty. Every chef has his own recipe proper preparation svichkovy. The most eminent among them have knowledge of the ancient recipe passed down from the previous generation. This is mainly a holiday dish. It is accompanied by no less famous dumplings.
It is worth mentioning them in more detail. Dumplings are difficult to classify as any dish, because they can be filled with either meat or sweet filling. They can also be simply a side dish. Overall it's traditional Czech dish, the first one that comes to mind when mentioning the Czech Republic. The basis of dumplings is potatoes. It is boiled in its uniform, cooled and grated. Add egg, flour, salt to the resulting mass and make sausages from it. Then they are boiled in water. After cooling the dumpling, cut it into slices. And then the imagination of the cooks and cooks comes into play. You can use minced meat as a filling, put jam in the middle, and simply sprinkle with grated cheese until it melts. There are no restrictions in giving the dish a special taste. The second popular side dish after dumplings is cabbage, mostly stewed.
Thanks to the influence of Hungarian cooking, goulash took root in the Czech Republic and became one of the favorite second dishes - juicy meat stewed with cumin or garlic in tomato paste. The prepared gravy is tasty, and as a result, goulash is usually served with dumplings, which are convenient for spreading it over. It’s not difficult to do this calmly in any restaurant; it’s customary among the locals and they treat it absolutely normally. The meat in the dish is beef or, even better, veal. Some chefs add paprika, marjoram and other spices to the goulash to add spiciness.
Czechs like to add honey to some dishes. One of the most delicious national dishes is considered pork ribs, baked in honey. In the local language it sounds like wild boar's zhebirka baked in honey. Festive treat considered baked goose or duck. They are also smeared with honey to give them a crispy and fragrant crust.
Czechs love not only game meat, but also its offal, with preference given to liver. Here it is cooked so that it remains pink inside. A whole beef liver is divided into two parts, rubbed with spices and fried briefly, but over high heat. Red wine mixed with soy sauce is added as a gravy during frying. Before cooking, complement the dish with almonds and onions fried in flour. Dumplings or rice are usually served as a side dish.
Schnitzel is also in demand here. Of course, this dish is not of Czech origin, but it is so revered that it has long been perceived as local. The main ingredients are beef, veal or chicken. Pieces of meat are beaten, dipped in batter and fried in a frying pan. The batter can be either breadcrumbs or flour mixed with pepper, or a beaten egg. The most common side dish for schnitzel is mashed potatoes.
According to many tourists, one of the most delicious Czech dishes is Katuv Shlyach in Derun. First, it’s worth talking about what potato pancakes are - this is a potato pancake familiar to Ukrainians, here it is also called bamborak. Its recipe is similar to the preparation of potato pancakes, but only local chefs add marjoram to the dough. And katuv shliakh is pork cut into small pieces, stewed with vegetables. Onions, carrots and peppers are usually taken as vegetables. They are not rubbed, but cut. Pepper - in strips, carrots and onions - in half rings. When the meat is ready, it is laid out on one half of the bamborak and covered with the other. It should be noted that here pancakes are baked large, distributed over the entire size of the pan. Local bamboraki were even ahead of dumplings in the poll for the most popular dish in the Czech Republic.
Sweets and baked goods
The baked goods are revered by the Czech people. Local cuisine includes many traditional sweet recipes, close in number to beer snacks. Tourists do not pay much attention to sweets; after all, the priority here is beer and the dishes offered with it. But the Czechs themselves love them; dessert is included in the mandatory menu after lunch or dinner.
Not a single national holiday can be imagined without trdlo or trdelnik. This may seem like a typo, but no, this is what the hollow cylindrical tubes made of sweet yeast dough are called. The dough is wrapped around wooden or metal sticks and baked by twisting such attachments. Afterwards, the tubes are dipped in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon and sprinkled with vanilla, coconut or nuts. Later, they began to prepare trdlo with fillings of condensed milk, whipped cream, mushrooms or cheese, but traditionally it is an empty tube. Czech mothers sometimes call restless children trdlo. The word itself can be translated as “fool,” that is, empty inside. In general, a trdlo is a stick on which dough is rolled for baking. You can buy such a delicacy literally at every step; it is sold not only in cafes and bakeries, but also in street stalls. Interestingly, in the Slovak city of Skalica, located on the border with the Czech Republic, an annual festival called “Trdlofest” takes place. There, chefs compete to bake the longest and most delicious tube.
The Czech people are known for their humorous attitude towards everything that happens. The kitchen was no exception. The local dessert rakvitsa literally translates as coffin. It's essentially an eclair topped with whipped cream. They simply fashion the cakes roughly, precisely in the shape of small coffins. And the eclairs themselves are sugar beaten with egg yolk with the addition of flour, a delicate delicacy that melts in your mouth.
The Czechs owe the appearance of strudel in the kitchen to the Austrians and Germans - it is still unknown who first invented it. It represents incredible delicious roll from thin dough with various fillings. Usually the filling is berries or fruits - pear, strawberry, cherry, but the most popular strudel in the Czech Republic is apple strudel, poured vanilla syrup. Local residents who love to eat heartily could not help but experiment and began making delicacies with more hearty fillings. In the country you can try it with cottage cheese, potatoes, fish or meat. Fortunately, the density of the dough allows such experiments. The recipe for the original Czech strudel includes light beer varieties. The peculiarity of the preparation is that the dough should be rolled out thinly and, interspersed with fillings, placed in layers on top of each other.
In the dessert section of many cafes you can find palanchiki. They belong to the classics of Czech sweets - these are delicate pancakes prepared with a variety of fillings. There is nothing unusual in the recipe - flour, salt, egg and milk. Real palanchiki should be ruddy in color. There may be cheeses, jams, preserves or honey inside the pancake. All this also goes well with pieces of fruit.
Beverages
There are simply no rivals to Czech beer in the country - it is the most beloved drink by both locals and guests. Brewers are held in high esteem here, as are doctors, teachers and priests. Real beer in the Czech Republic is produced in a wide variety; it is simply impossible to count all its varieties. It is drunk easily and quickly, as it is less strong than what is consumed in Russia or Ukraine. Accompanying the evening with six glasses of a foamy drink is the usual norm, and the state will be far from intoxication. Only high spirits are guaranteed!
Brewing originated in the Czech Republic back in the 11th century, and its spread was facilitated by monks who drank beer during long fasts to maintain a starving body. The German brewer Joseph Groll, who was invited to create new varieties, brought great benefit to the beer brow. He owns the Pilsner variety, which appeared in the mid-19th century. Today there are 49 breweries in the state, including such well-known brands as “Staropramen”, “Krusovice”, “Budvar”, “Velkopopovice Kozel”. Interesting beer "Staropramen" brands "Velvet" and "Celt". When poured, the glass is completely filled with foam rushing upward. However, as the bubbles settle, it remains completely filled with beer.
Among other alcoholic drinks, the Czechs especially revere Becherovka. After beer, it ranks second in consumption in the country. It is called the hallmark of the wine list of Czech restaurants. She is herbal liqueur with significant strength, has medicinal properties, because it was originally created as a medicine. Becherovka helps relax the muscle tissue of the gastrointestinal tract and release juice in the stomach. The drink contains anise and cloves, cinnamon and cardamom, orange zest and pepper. The recipe for its preparation was passed down by word of mouth to the Becher generation; the exact recipe is kept a closely guarded secret to this day.
You can also highlight fruit and berry brandy, plum brandy, rum and absinthe. The Czech Republic ignored the ban on the production of the latter; about ten varieties are produced here. Absinthe is made especially for ladies with 35% alcohol content instead of the usual 70%. An excellent souvenir brought from the country would be a bottle of Becherovka or gift set different types of absinthe. It is sold from special spoon for burning sugar. It is believed that the correct way to drink this strong drink is to burn a piece of sugar in a spoon and hold the spoon over the glass so that the burnt sweetness drips into it. Then mix everything and drink. Among non-alcoholic drinks, Czechs choose tea and coffee.
Czech cuisine is a real paradise for lovers of meat, beer and sweets. Taking away impressions of the sights from here, one of these will be memories of delicious and satisfying local cuisine. Many of the recipes are quite simple; you can prepare them at home, surprising your guests with unusual dishes!
It is impossible to fully understand the beauty of the Czech Republic without tasting traditional dishes - the national pride of the country. But when you enter any restaurant, even the most modest one, you are at a loss huge selection first and second courses, not to mention a variety of beer snacks, which would be enough for a separate menu.
By the way, if you decide to taste all the most delicious and famous dishes Czech national cuisine, you will have to put up with a couple of extra centimeters on your hips and waist - the food here is very high in calories and filling; Czechs are very fond of meat (poultry, game, pork and beef), prepared in a variety of ways. And the portions in restaurants are so large that you can easily order one dish for two...all that remains is to decide what exactly to order?
We present the TOP 10 most famous and delicious dishes of traditional Czech cuisine, which are definitely worth trying.
Read in this article
Roasted pork knee
The traditional delicious dish (Pečené vepřové koleno) is comparable to spaghetti in Italy or pilaf in Uzbekistan and is a real gastronomic brand. Fragrant, juicy, rosy, pork knee on the bone weighs almost a kilogram when finished and is usually ordered for 2-4 people. It is prepared in every restaurant and pub, but it is served in different ways: with horseradish, tomatoes, garlic and seasonings, not to mention numerous sauces and gravies.
A baked leg with mustard and horseradish with beer will cost 200 CZK. If you order only a knee, its cost will be 150-160 CZK.
Dumplings
Dumplings are the holy of holies of Czech national cuisine. Although, the most interesting thing is that initially this dish belonged to Austrian and German cuisines, but today it has become the national dish of the Czech Republic, its culinary symbol. Essentially, it is boiled in large quantities water or a steamed oblong piece of dough (kneaded with flour or with the addition of potatoes), which is then cut crosswise, like a loaf, and served as a side dish, for example, with the same baked knee. It is interesting that the dumplings themselves are insignificant and do not have a bright taste, but in combination with meat and sauces they perfectly absorb all the flavors of the main dish.
Well, if you pour dumplings with sweet berry syrup and decorate them with fruit, you’ll get delicious dessert. Dumplings are inexpensive - from 5 to 20 crowns.
Remember! Portions in the Czech Republic are generous, so do not rush to order everything at once; it is better to take second courses at the rate of one for 2-3 people.
Drowned people, klobasy, tlachenki
Beer snacks such as crackers, chips or nuts simply pale in comparison to the real Czech snack – delicious meat sausages! They are usually served grilled with a variety of sauces.
The most popular sausages that you should definitely try in the Czech Republic are:
Drowned meats, which look like utopenci on the menu, are quite vigorous pork chops soaked in a vinegar marinade; due to their bright taste, they are consumed only with beer.
Fried sausages, also known as klobasa, are a product with a less harsh taste; These delicious sausages are good on their own, but when combined with a foamy drink they become simply divine.
Tlachenka (and in Czech - tlacenka) is a meat dish reminiscent of strong jellied meat or brawn, made from pork legs, tongue or offal and eaten with vinegar. When serving, season with pepper, onion and vinegar.
Advice! In pubs and restaurants in the Czech Republic, food is always prepared in the morning and served only freshly prepared. Therefore, if you want to try the most famous dishes, it is better to go for a meal in the morning or closer to lunch, because... By evening, not a trace remains of the local delicacies of the first demand.
Please note: very often sausages are sold right on the streets of Prague. This is an old tradition, so Czech capital It’s not at all surprising to see the numerous chewing tourists looking at the sights with a sausage in one hand. Among the street assortment, it is worth trying Bavarian, Old Prague, Prague and Wenceslas sausages, the cost of which ranges from 50 to 80 CZK. The price includes dumplings or bread and sauces: mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup.
Vepro-knedlo-zelo
If you decide to taste local delicacies in good faith, you won’t get away with just one pork knee. Be sure to order this at a restaurant hearty dish, like Vepřo-knedlo-zelo, which is fried pork with stewed cabbage, served with dumplings.
Typically, portions of shoulder or loin are used for cooking, marinated in spices and first fried in a frying pan, and then baked in the oven. During the baking process, the pork is poured with broth and the resulting juice, so that the resulting meat is very tender and juicy, literally melting. Czechs generally love and skillfully cook pork, which is also much cheaper than lamb or beef. well and braised cabbage on the side - this is a classic of the genre, just like in Germany.
You can order this from the Strahov Monastery legendary dish for some 140 CZK.
Czech soups
It’s a real crime to be in the Czech Republic and not try the local soups – polevki. The first courses here are very satisfying, rich, and delicious. They can rightfully be considered the property of the country. Liquid transparent soups are not about the Czechs, no. Thick first courses are respected here, and to create the appropriate consistency, vegetable purees, semolina or flour mash are usually added. An unusual ingredient, used in soups and giving interesting taste, can be called roasted yeast.
Note! Often soups are served in a bread roll - be sure to try it, it’s very beautiful, but most importantly - delicious!
The most popular first courses in the Czech Republic are:
Česnečka – aromatic and incredibly tasty soup with garlic and smoked meats,
Pivní polévka – an original soup with beer, served with cheese croutons,
Bramboračka – famous potato and mushroom soup; by the way, this is what is traditionally served in bread,
Kulajda – thick stew with mushrooms and potatoes, flavored with sour cream, served with a boiled egg.
A serving of Czech soup costs from 40 CZK and above.
Goulash
It would seem, what makes a traditional Hungarian dish on the list of the most popular dishes of Czech cuisine? In fact, the Czechs have long borrowed it for themselves and really love and respect it. In catering establishments you can find a variety of variations of goulash - it is prepared from traditional beef and pork, but also veal, rabbit, lamb and cold cuts. There are Szegedinsky, rural, hunting, Slovak, Hungarian and other types of goulash. We recommend trying one of its variations in authentic Czech establishments - it’s not tourist dish, so it's easiest to find in restaurants that cater to locals.
The cost of 200 grams of, for example, Pilsner beef goulash with dumplings is 100-120 CZK.
Fried carp
Despite the fact that the Czechs are ardent fans of pork in any form, fish is also respected here. It is especially recommended to try the fried carp (on the menu - pečený kapr) - this particular dish is an obligatory element of the Christmas festive table. You should also not refuse baked trout - Pečený pstruh.
1 fish costs 110-150 CZK.
Olomouc cheesecakes
Cheese is loved in the Czech Republic, especially as a beer snack. Be sure to try it soft cheese Hermelin, which resembles Camembert with its white mold, as well as varieties such as Pivni Syr and Zlata Niva.
But most importantly cheese platter, to be tasted first of all, are Olomukov cheese curds, fried in breading. Olomuka cheese itself is made only in the Czech Republic and has a specific bad smell, which, however, completely disappears when fried. Olamuk cheese cheeses harmonize especially well with beer and regular rye bread with onions.
A portion fried cheese(150 g) with tartar sauce will cost 120-150 CZK.
Trdlo
You can taste trdelnik, or trdlo, also known as “fool,” mainly only on the street. This sweet pastries It is made from rich yeast dough, which is rolled onto a metal rolling pin and fried on the grill or in the oven. The finished trdlo is removed from the rolling pin and sprinkled with sugar, poppy seeds, chopped nuts or aromatic coconut flakes.
It is interesting that similar pastries, albeit under different names, are baked and sold on the streets of Hungary and Slovakia.
One Trdlo costs 45-50 CZK, and if you add Nutella to its taste, then 60 CZK.
Strudel
Despite the fact that the Czech Republic has many national desserts (vanochki, kolache, etc.), the leader in taste and demand is the good old German-Austrian strudel, which you can recognize in the menu by the word “závin”.
They prepare it here at the highest level, wrapping it in thinly rolled unleavened dough different fillings: fruits, berries, cottage cheese, etc.
A trip to the Czech Republic will give you not only an acquaintance with the history of the country and its attractions, but also the opportunity to try colorful and surprisingly tasty dishes of Czech cuisine. Unique recipes Czech culinary traditions, like the history of the state, are thousands of years old. In this article we will talk about the features national food in the Czech Republic and about the most interesting dishes of local cuisine.
The origins of Czech national dishes
For a long time the country was under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which left its mark on the national cuisine of the Czechs. Here we will find Austrian schnitzel, Hungarian goulash, German sauerkraut and roast goose. Some Czech dishes are originally Slavic: soups, cereals, side dishes.
In the photo on the right (click to enlarge) a popular Czech dish called “smeared rizek”. This is the most striking example of the heritage of Austria-Hungary - a copy of the famous.
But even borrowed dishes from the Czech Republic have acquired their own special tastes, and they are prepared in the Czech way with the addition of their own ingredients. We won’t look into cookbooks now, but will spend small excursion on the dishes you can try in Czech restaurants.
Features of Czech cuisine
Czechs love sweets. They even add sugar to salads, sauces and gravies, which makes the dishes sweetish. For example, Czech children love sweet noodles with poppy seeds and baked milk.
Among the Czechs' favorite spices are: cumin, marjoram, poppy seeds, red pepper, ginger, dill. Mustard is added to all meat dishes that are marinated in vinegar. Sweet ketchup- also a favorite sauce of the Czechs.
The main national dishes and desserts are very fatty and high in calories. In addition, the portions in cafes and restaurants are impressive. We urge you not to order many dishes at once; one serving is often enough for two. High calorie content affects the size of the country's citizens; 21% of the population is obese; the Czech Republic ranks 6th in the list of the fattest countries in Europe. Perhaps the first thing we do is abuse food.
Soups - their varieties and features
Czechs call soups “voles”; it is impossible to imagine Czech cuisine without them. As in the Russian tradition, soups are given a place at the very beginning of the meal. Czech soups are thick in consistency, often more reminiscent of sauces. When cooking, they add semolina or pureed vegetables, butter and egg yolks.
Depending on the main ingredient, there are: garlic soups, sauerkraut soups, onion soups, vegetable soups, with smoked meats, mushrooms, goulash soups, cheese soups, beer soups with cumin, sauerkraut soups with apples, dill soups with sour milk and others .
The dish is served in a plate or in bread (such a dish will cost twice as much). Among the popular soups we will name “garlic”. It is based on chicken broth with potatoes, into which about 10 cloves of garlic are placed. They serve it in rye bread. This is an excellent antimicrobial agent. It is clear that you should not go on a date after such a meal, except to try the dish with your lover.
If you love meat, order the goulash soup. There is a lot of meat in it, it is pureed and looks like a thick porridge.
Cold beer soup will seem unusual. Grated bread, sugar, raisins, and lemon are added to beer. Not every gourmet can handle such ingredients in one plate. Be careful with this dish.
It is unlikely that you will find dill soup with milk anywhere else. And in the Czech Republic they prepare it. It contains milk, sour cream, egg, flour and dill. The taste is unusual and not everyone will like it.
The Czech Republic is a paradise for meat eaters
Be sure to try the main dish of Czech cuisine - knuckle: baked pork knee (Recene veprove koleno, pictured on the right, click on the photo to enlarge). The dish is on the menu in every restaurant and cafe in the Czech Republic.
The meat is soaked in beer for a certain time, then boiled, then smoked. It becomes juicy and tender. It is usually served with sauces, mustard or horseradish; they can also bring sauerkraut. Czech food is also prepared outside on the grill. They fry huge shanks, cut them off as much as you want.
An ancient Czech dish “vepro-knedlo-zelo”. This is baked pork with dumplings and stewed sauerkraut. All this is poured generously with thick gravy. Will the stomach be able to “survive” such a meal?
Goulash has always been a traditional food in the Czech Republic. Each restaurant has its own recipe for this dish. It can be made from beef, pork, rabbit, poultry, liver or assorted. Goulash is served with sauces, always with dumplings, sometimes with sauerkraut, seasoned with garlic and cumin.
Meat dishes surprise with their variety and method of preparation. And what are the sauces for them? We didn't mention pork necks, hams, schnitzels, roast duck with spices, or Czech sausages. Order, try, enjoy!
Fish lovers will not find variety in Czech cuisine. Traditionally, at Christmas, Czechs fry carp and eat it with potato salad. In restaurants and cafes, the menu includes: carp soup, chops or fried carp. If there is still room in your stomach after meat, reserve it for fish, you won’t regret it.
Side dishes for main dishes
The main and irreplaceable side dish in the Czech Republic is dumplings. Flour or potato dough is steamed, liver, meat, onions or cabbage are placed inside. Dumplings are served in pieces for dishes, mainly meat. They can be served with sauce and bacon. There are sweet dumplings, they contain fruit or cottage cheese and sprinkle with sugar.
Popular side dishes include potato dishes, cabbage, vegetables, and croquettes.
Try “bramboraki” - potato pancakes (like our potato pancakes, pictured on the right, click on the photo to enlarge). They put marjoram in them ( aromatic seasoning from a perennial plant) or meat.
Before ordering a side dish, make sure it is not included in the main dish.
Salads and snacks for beer
Among the salads, we note “Bramborovy salat”. In addition to potatoes, carrots, parsley root, pickled cucumbers, red onions, bacon cracklings and other ingredients at the request of the cook are placed in it. Czechs prepare this salad for the Christmas table. The “Vlashsky” salad will remind you of the usual “Olivier”.
Czechs love cheeses and dishes with this product. The national dish is “Camembert” - breaded, fried cheese. It is served hot along with sauces or cabbage. Another national snack is “utopentsy”, these are marinated sausages or small sausages seasoned with pepper and onions.
Abundance and variety of sauces
Czech sauce is an independent gourmet dish. Several centuries ago, the base of the sauce (it was called yiha) was flour fried in fat. Wine, water or beer, spices and roots were added to it different spices. It was independent dish, sometimes it was served with meat.
Nowadays, the main ingredients in the sauce can be cucumber, horseradish, tomato, garlic, dill, onion, etc. They are called “omachki” (from the word “dip”). This sauce is prepared using the juice of fried meat, sour cream or wine. Omachki is served with meat and potato dishes.
Czech desserts
This is a thin dough roll with filling inside it: fruits, berries, nuts, poppy seeds, chocolate, cottage cheese. Serve with whipped cream, ice cream or chocolate syrup.
Trdelnik - empty tubes, made on open fire, covered with vanilla, sugar glaze or cinnamon. The word is translated into Russian as “fool”, a hint that the sweetness inside is empty.
Another interesting cake, especially because of its name, is “Rakvicka” (in Russian “coffin”). This popular dessert among the Czechs. The cake has an oblong shape and contains a lot of sugar and cream.
At the end of lunch, if you can handle it, order “palachinki” (pancakes). They will be served with ice cream or whipped cream. By the way, Czechs love ice cream very much, it is sold everywhere and in different variations. Among traditional Czech desserts, we highlight “Hot Love” - vanilla ice cream doused with hot raspberry syrup.
Favorite drinks in the Czech Republic
Of course, beer. About 70 breweries work to promote the worldwide fame of Czech beer. Tasting the products of these factories is a favorite pastime of most Russian tourists.
The national herbal liqueur Becherovka or tea with lemon will contribute to an excellent digestion process. Czechs love soda water and juices: orange, apple, pear.
Catering service in the Czech Republic
You can eat everywhere in the Czech Republic: on the street from trays, buying food from vending machines, in snack bars, canteens, pirozhki, cafes and restaurants. Well, there are simply countless pubs.
If you go to a cafe or restaurant, then be prepared for some nuances of Czech service in such establishments. The menu is often displayed in front of the establishment, you can familiarize yourself with it before entering. Neighbors may sit at your table, this is quite normal. Take this philosophically, because there will be a chance to make friends.
Another surprise will be a dog that is brought by its owner to a place where people eat. Czechs love dogs and animals in general. The dog can sniff your table, food and this will be in the order of things.
Don’t rush to order several dishes, they are all hearty, the portions are large, so fill yourself up gradually, ordering dishes at a certain frequency.
Desserts are not eaten in the Czech Republic after main courses: it is a small snack if hunger takes you by surprise, or lunch is too short.
In the country it is customary to wash down food with a considerable amount of beer, since the food is heavy, fatty, a lot of marinades, smoked meat, salty, sweet. Therefore, do not be surprised by its abundance in cafes and restaurants.
Beer is not drunk immediately after serving; they wait until the foam settles. Do not order several varieties at the same time. You should also take a snack with your beer.
If alcohol is not your drink, then order tea and a piece of Prague cake.
Have lunch at weekdays possible in restaurants offering business lunches (Denny Bedke). It includes a main course, salad, dessert and drink.
Tips may not be included in the bill. If you did not like the service and food, then tell us in advance not to round up the bill, but to pay strictly according to the menu. However, you will find establishments where tips are included in the bill.
Pay attention to the fact that Czechs get up early and go to bed early, so their breakfast starts around 9 am, lunch is closer to twelve, and dinner lasts until 9 pm. After this time, it will be difficult to find an establishment with a full menu.
Products as souvenirs from the Czech Republic
Tourists try to bring something unusual from the Czech Republic. Often food is also bought as a souvenir. The most popular drinks gifts are liqueurs, vodka, beer, and Moravian wines.
Those with a sweet tooth take home otlatki, strudel, Prague cake, and gingerbread. Cheese lovers buy Hermelin, Olomouc cheese curds, as a souvenir.
When taking food with you, you should take into account their expiration date and storage conditions. We recommend reading our review "".
We wish you to fully enjoy Czech cuisine, and read our interesting articles about the Czech Republic ( links below).
Publication date:
2013-04-22
“A piece of fried ham, lying in brine, and with potato dumplings, sprinkled with cracklings, and with cabbage! Real jam! After that, you drink beer with pleasure!... What more does a person need?”
“The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik”, Jaroslav Hasek
The annual pilgrimage to the Czech Republic of millions of tourists from all over the world is associated not only with the rich historical heritage and unique ancient architecture. The national cuisine can be called a full-fledged attraction of this country.
A brief excursion into history
The geographical location of the Czech Republic predetermined its culinary traditions. For many centuries, the gastronomic habits of the Czechs were influenced by their neighbors - German-Austrian cuisine in the west, Hungarian in the south and Slavic in the east. Western neighbors enriched Czech cuisine with all kinds of sausages and various types of cabbage, from the south they inherited thick, rich soups, goulash and the tradition of generously seasoning dishes with spices, and the contribution of the east can be considered porridges, dishes made from meat by-products and pastries.
At first glance, Czech cuisine is quite simple and uncomplicated. It is based on dishes made from meat and poultry, potatoes and flour products, ideally combined with main dishes. Czech drink- beer. But the devil, as they say, is in the details. Upon closer inspection, you will notice that the success of Czech cuisine is based on the use of selected meats and other products highest quality, their skillful culinary processing and a generous selection of various sauces, spices and seasonings.
The Czechs themselves like to say that their national cuisine is based on the trinity: “meat-dumpling-beer”.
Call the Czech Republic a paradise for discerning gourmets difficult (after all, there are no such gourmet dishes, as, for example, in French or Italian haute cuisine), but for those who like nourishing, tasty and, most importantly, inexpensive food, the possibilities are simply endless. Portions in the Czech Republic are huge (and the further you are from tourist centers, the larger), prices are moderate, and you can have a glass of freshly brewed beer with a traditional set of snacks in any establishment literally at every step - from a simple uniform to a popular restaurant.
Czech cuisine will give special pleasure to meat-eaters - most of its dishes are based on the use of meat (mainly pork) and poultry (duck, turkey). You can find fish in the Czech Republic, but rarely. Czechs eat mainly freshwater fish. The main Czech fish is carp. Baked in sour cream and garlic sauce, it is a traditional Christmas dish.
An important place in Czech national cuisine is occupied by soups and, of course, dumplings - boiled or steamed flour products, vaguely reminiscent of wet bread. Liberally sprinkled with sauce, they are served with various dishes as a side dish.
Traditional Czech soups
Soups, or in Czech polevky, occupy an important place in Czech cuisine. Czechs prefer thick, aromatic soups with meat broth and creamy soups with an interesting sweet and sour flavor. taste range(for sourness, sauerkraut, sour milk or apples are usually added to soups). The cooks do not skimp on seasonings, adding large quantities of cumin, marjoram, thyme, ginger, bay leaf, pepper, paprika and fresh herbs - dill, parsley. To make them thicker, add egg yolks, semolina, flour, mashed vegetables, cream, and butter. Due to their thick consistency, many Czech soups can easily be confused with sauces.
Tourists coming to the Czech Republic are always delighted soups in bread. The soup is served in special bread “pots”, inside of which the crumb has been removed. The top of the crispy pot is covered with a pre-cut bread lid. This serving is typical for meat goulash soup, cream of mushroom soup, thick potato, onion and many other soups. As a rule, each Czech restaurant has its own signature recipe for soup in bread. And it’s so tasty that you won’t notice how you eat not only the contents, but also the crispy pot itself, soaked in thick meat flavors and aromas!
The most common light first courses are meat and chicken broths, seasoned with garlic, cheese and croutons.
Traditional Czech soups include:
bramborova polevka or bramboračka - thick potato soup with smoked meats and/or mushrooms according to an old Czech recipe. Dressed with sour cream mixed with flour. Often served in bread.
gulášova polevka- goulash soup. A popular thick soup based on pork, beef, poultry or rabbit. In addition to meat, offal, chicken and duck giblets can be added to it. Thickened with flour, semolina or potato and vegetable puree fried in butter or lard. It is also traditional for it to be served in bread.
česneková polevka- garlic soup, can be prepared either quite thick (then beaten eggs are added to it) or more liquid.
koprová polevka- dill soup with sour milk according to an old recipe. Generously flavored with sour cream and fresh herbs. And although your head hurts after Czech beer extremely rarely, if you mixed it the night before with absinthe, liqueur, plum brandy or Becherovka - this the best remedy from a hangover.
cibulova polevka - onion soup with croutons and cheese. Prepared with meat or bone broth. Onions are fried in lard. It has a rich, sharp taste.
hovězí polevka s játrovými knedlíčky- beef soup with liver dumplings. The highlight of this soup is the dumplings, made from pieces of bread and minced liver soaked in milk.
kulajda- Kulajda or South Bohemian potato and mushroom soup - an old recipe for the first dish from southern Bohemia. It is rightfully considered one of the masterpieces of Czech cuisine. Prepared on the basis of milk or cream. It has a thick consistency, white color and rich mushroom aroma.
zelná polevka- sauerkraut soup. We can say that this is cabbage soup of Czech cuisine. It is prepared plain or with the addition of milk (cream) and thickened flour fried in butter.
dršťková polevka- tripe soup. Thick, rich pork tripe soup, a traditional dish of Czech peasants. Season generously with paprika, garlic and other spices (marjoram, cumin, pepper).
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Main (second) dishes of Czech cuisine
Boar's knee, svickova, ribs in honey - those who were lucky enough to visit the Czech Republic will feel a sweet pinch in the side just at the mention of these names.
As second courses (hlavní chod), Czechs prefer meat and chicken dishes with side dishes. Pork holds the first place in popularity, followed by chicken, and beef in third place. Dishes from duck, turkey, goose, and pheasant are also common. Fish is much less popular, although in large restaurants you will always find several dishes of trout, carp or cod. It is usually fried, baked or grilled. A traditional Christmas dish is baked in the oven. carp. It is baked with sour cream-garlic or cheese-garlic sauce.
Since Czechs are meat eaters, they cook meat dishes excellently. The meat is pre-marinated (in everyone's favorite Czech beer), generously sprinkled with spices and generously flavored with sauces of a wide variety of flavors - from spicy garlic and onion to sweet and sour fruit and berry.
The main methods of preparing second courses are stewing, frying and baking, including grilling (charcoal). Czechs prefer meat cut into large pieces, whole (such as roast duck or pork knuckle) or more in small pieces for goulash. Dishes made from minced meat are not typical for Czech cuisine, with the exception of sausages and frankfurters (utopentsev), which the Czechs themselves classify not as main courses, but as beer snacks.
When preparing second courses they are generously used seasonings and spices- onion, garlic, mustard, horseradish, marjoram, paprika, cumin, ginger, thyme, sage, coriander, cardamom, basil, sage, dill.
And of course, special mention should be made sauces. Sauces, or omáčky, occupy a special place in Czech cuisine. They are served with main courses, appetizers, side dishes and dumplings. Czech sauces are mostly thick, with rich flavors and aromas. The traditions of their consumption date back to the Middle Ages. The basis for the preparation of ancient sauces was the frying of flour in fat, which was diluted, depending on the affiliation of the eaters to a particular class, with water, meat or vegetable broth, wine, milk, cream and even beer. Spices, roots and herbs were added to them. Since that time, the technology for making sauces has changed little.
Traditional sauces for Czech cuisine are: garlic, tomato, cucumber, dill, onion, mushroom, cream, tomato, lingonberry, cranberry, blackberry. To improve their taste, butter, cream, milk, and sour cream are added.
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Main main courses
Baked pork knee (Pečené vepřové koleno)
A dish with which most tourists associate the Czech Republic. The main dish of Czech cuisine is prepared from fresh pork knuckle - the part from the middle of the shin to the middle of the thigh. The knuckle can be baked in different ways. The conceptual difference between most recipes is the absence or presence of a boiling stage. According to the traditional recipe, the shank is first boiled in broth or beer with the addition of various roots (celery, carrots), onions, garlic and spices, and then baked on the grill. Served with sauerkraut or stewed cabbage, potatoes, pickled cucumbers, garlic and herbs.
Baked pork ribs in honey (Pečená vepřová žebírka v medu)
The highlight of this recipe is a special honey-based marinade. Before baking, the ribs are marinated for a long time and then baked for a long time over low heat, which is why they practically melt in your mouth;
Vepro-knedlo-zelo (Vepřo-knedlo-zelo)
Another old Czech dish of baked pork, dumplings (a special Czech “bread” side dish, but more on them later) and stewed sauerkraut. According to the glorious Czech tradition generously poured with thick gravy.
Svičková na smetaně
Stewed young beef or veal tenderloin with sauce. For this dish, the meat is selected especially carefully, and before cooking it is marinated in spices for 1–2 days. Key role in taste ready-made dish sauce plays. It is prepared on the basis of vegetables stewed in meat broth, which are then whipped until pureed. For taste, milk, cream or sour cream is added to the sauce. The addition of berry sauces or even jam from sour berries- cranberry, lingonberry, blackberry. Well, a few slices of dumplings served along with the dish will help you soak up all the sauce.
Other main courses
vepřový řízek - fried breaded pork chop. It is a Czech variety of schnitzel or escalope. The dish entered the national Czech cuisine under the influence of its close proximity to Germany and Austria-Hungary.
rečená vepřová játra - baked pork liver. It cooks very quickly so that the inside of the liver remains soft pink. Served with fried onions and thick flour sauce.
Goulash with dumplings
hovězí guláš s knedlíkem - beef goulash with dumplings. Traditional recipe cooking stewed meat in a thick gravy. “Migrated” to Czech cuisine from its Hungarian neighbors. And so that not a single drop of aromatic meat gravy goes to waste, the dish is accompanied by several pieces of potato or flour dumplings. There are a great many recipes for preparing the “correct” Czech goulash; the only constant ingredients in them are pieces juicy meat, onions and tomatoes ( tomato paste). Everything else (garlic, pepper, paprika, ginger, coriander and other spices) is at the discretion of the cook.
Duck with dumplings
pečene kachna - baked duck or goose. Belongs to the category of festive dishes of Czech cuisine. The whole baked bird is served with sauerkraut and dumplings. To obtain a crispy, aromatic crust, the bird can be smeared with honey or a specially prepared honey mixture with salt and spices.
Lamb with rosemary
jehněčí na rozmarýnu - lamb baked with rosemary. A delicious dish of lamb, rare on the Czech table. Fresh rosemary sprigs add piquancy to the dish. Various pieces of lamb can be used for roasting - backbone (hřbetu), ribs (žebírka), neck (krk) and leg (kýta). Variations of the recipe allow the use of garlic, olive oil, lemon and even marmalade. Often the dish is served with a sauce made from sour berries (lingonberries, cranberries). Another variety of lamb dishes is bohemian meat. To prepare the dish, soft lamb is cut into rectangular pieces, fried and stewed with onions and potatoes.
tradiční smažený kapr - baked carp. One of the few fish dishes in Czech cuisine, which can be called the main Christmas dish of the country. Traditionally served on the festive table at Christmas. For this occasion, special carp are fed - large and fat. The fish is baked in sour cream and beer sauce, with onions and lemon. The belly can be filled with sautéed onions, carrots, and champignons. Before cooking, experienced housewives soak the carp in beer for 1–2 days (necessarily in dark beer). It is customary to carry scales from the Christmas carp in your wallet all year round - they are believed to attract money and wealth.
pečený pstruh - baked trout. Another one of the few fish dishes in Czech cuisine. The fish is baked with lemon and spices - rosemary, thyme, garlic, pepper. Baking fish different ways- grilled, on charcoal, in foil.
Czech side dishes
Describing Czech side dishes(přílohy), the story can be divided into two parts - about dumplings and about everything else.
Indeed, in almost no country in the world is there a dish even remotely reminiscent of the Czech dumpling(knedlik). It stands on some special level between bread and side dishes, replacing both for the Czechs themselves at the same time. Although, if you take a short excursion into history, you will be surprised to discover that dumplings are not at all an invention of Czech culinary specialists. They came to the Czech Republic from Germany and Austria. And the name of the dish itself has German roots and comes from the German “knödel”. However, knodels, consumed in southern Germany and Tyrol and being siblings (or, to be more precise, great-great-grandfathers) of Czech dumplings, could not achieve the status of a “brand” and remained an inconspicuous phenomenon of regional significance on the culinary map of these countries. Czech dumplings have received the official status of one of the main national symbols of the country, and every self-respecting Czech housewife knows at least three recipes for the most “correct” dumplings homemade: potato, flour (bread) and sweet.
So, what is a classic Czech dumpling? This is where the biggest problem arises. There is absolutely no way to classify dumplings into “correct” and “wrong” - there are many options for preparing them, each region (what a region - every family!) has its own dumpling recipe and, naturally, the most authentic and delicious.
All dumplings have essentially one thing in common - steaming or boiling water to prepare a dough-like mass mixed from a variety of ingredients. The “dough” may include mashed raw or boiled potatoes, flour, starch, egg, pieces of stale bread or bread soaked in milk. A variety of products can be added to this base: cottage cheese, corn or semolina, liver, bacon, cheese, vegetables, mushrooms, herbs. When sugar, fruits and berries are added to the dough, sweet dumplings are obtained, used in Czech cuisine as a dessert. They can be served with sweet sauces, ice cream, fruit, poppy seeds, nuts and chocolate.
Depending on the recipe, dumpling dough can be yeast or yeast-free.
The beauty of dumplings is that, although they have an inexpressive taste in themselves, due to their consistency they perfectly absorb all the flavor shades of the main dish. Therefore, they are great for thick soups and various sauces, for which Czech cuisine is famous.
From traditional side dishes Czech cuisine includes:
- bramborova kase- mashed potatoes. Perfect with meat dishes with thick sauces and fish;
- bramborové hranolky- classic French fries. Czechs are generally very fond of potato side dishes, so you can find potatoes on the menu in the most various options - boiled, baked, with fried bacon, garlic, dill, etc.;
- crokety - croquettes. Deep fried mashed potato balls. They can take the form of small sticks, roses and others;
- dušene zelí(stewed cabbage) and dušene kysané zelí(stewed sour cabbage) - prepared from sauerkraut. Another popular one Czech side dish. Served either independently with main courses or as part of complex side dishes. Pairs perfectly with pork knuckle, utopenki, baked ribs and other traditional Czech dishes. Can be prepared from white and red cabbage, with the addition of bay leaves, caraway seeds, cranberries, lingonberries, carrots, apples;
- fazolové lusky- boiled or stewed green beans.
Beer snacks
A story about Czech cuisine would be incomplete without mentioning traditional snacks for beer. Beer consumption in the Czech Republic is a centuries-old national tradition, which is happily supported by millions of tourists who come to the country. In every drinking establishment you will find an impressive list of snacks that can quickly kill the hungriest worm and highlight the best taste qualities of numerous types of beer - dark, semi-dark, ruby, light, bitter, sour, smoked, wheat and many, many others.
Any good beer snack has two goals: to emphasize the unique taste of the foamy drink and to arouse thirst, leading to ordering the next glass. Considering the second, the bulk of Czech beer snacks are distinguished by an abundance of salt and all kinds of spices.
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Main appetizer dishes
Pickled hermelin (nakládaný hermelín)
Translated from Czech, Hermelín means “ermine”. This is the name of a variety of soft, fatty cow's milk cheese with white mold on the surface. Hermeline is similar in taste to French Camembert. Served as an appetizer white wine. Served pickled as a beer snack. To do this, the cheese is soaked for two weeks in a special marinade based on vegetable (rapeseed) oil with the addition of spices - onion, garlic, allspice and black pepper, chili pepper, bay leaf, thyme and pickled hot pepper "feferonky" (pálivé feferonky). As a hot appetizer, hermelin is served deep-fried in breadcrumbs ( smažený hermelín) or grilled ( grilovany hermelin). Heat treatment reveals all facets of the taste and aroma of the cheese. The outside of the cheese is covered with an appetizing crispy crust, and inside it has a delicate flowing content that literally melts in your mouth. Served with garlic, cucumber-dill, cranberry or lingonberry sauce.
Utopians (utopenci)
Utopentsy - translated from Czech as “drowned people”. Fatty meat sausages (marinated in a sour marinade for about two weeks) with an original presentation - each sausage is cut lengthwise, slices of tomato, pickled onion, sweet pepper, pickled cucumber, pickled pepperoni, etc. are inserted into the cut. Fresh herbs are generously sprinkled on top.
Beef tartare with toasted bread (hovězý tatarák s topinkami)
Tartar with bread
It is a variant of the famous Tatar snack made from raw ground beef with egg yolk. Served with crispy bread and spices - red and black pepper, garlic, pickled onions, olives and various sauces. It is better to try tartare in trusted places with guaranteed meat quality. Remember that the minced meat is completely raw and has not been subjected to any heat treatment.
Olomouc cheesecakes
A kind of Czech appetizer “for everyone.” It is a type of ripening curd cheese. They have a sharp, specific smell and taste. Recommended to be consumed with buttered toast. Those who dare to try this ancient “delicacy” of Czech peasants from the village of Loštice, in the vicinity of Olomouc (where it began to be produced back in the 15th century), say that if you do not pay attention to the smell, the taste and delicate consistency of the cheese is -reminiscent of smoked halibut.
Classic snack dishes, which you will surely find in any Czech brewery or restaurant:
- tlačenka - tlachenka. Under this name lies the well-known brawn made from pork knuckle and meat by-products. Served with pickled onions, horseradish, mustard and white sauces;
- grillované klobásky - grilled sausages. Delicious grilled meat sausages with a crispy crust. Served with various hot sauces and mustard. To create a crispier crust, they can be cut crosswise on one or both sides;
- tatarský biftek z lososa - raw salmon tartare. Served on lettuce with toasted toast, lemon, pepper and salt;
- pivni sýr oblozený - beer cheese. Bread with original snack from beer cheese, salted sprat, onions, oil and drops of beer.
Considering the culture of mass beer consumption, every drinking establishment will offer you fried toast(topinky) with various fillings (minced meat or fish, cheese, anchovies, bacon, garlic, onions), as well as meat(masové prkenko) or cheese(sýrové prkenko) assorted.
Salads
Despite their love for hearty meat and potato dishes, Czechs do not forget about lighter snacks. Although, also with a touch of local culinary flavor. For example, one of the most popular Czech salads is potato salad - bramborový salad. In addition to boiled potatoes, it includes carrots, celery and parsley roots, red onions, pickled cucumbers, bacon cracklings and other ingredients of the hostess' choice. This salad is often served at the Christmas table. The “poorer” version includes, in addition to potatoes, onions, herbs and a mustard dressing with vinegar or wine (served warm). Another clear example of the gastronomic preferences of the Czechs is the Vlash salad ( vlašský salát) from potatoes, green peas and a set of meat ingredients - sausage, ham, veal, tongue, etc. (a Czech analogue of Olivier salad). A peculiar echo of the common history with Austria-Hungary is a salad of pickled sweet peppers, onions, celery root and smoked meats.
Desserts, pies
As a rule, travelers returning from the Czech Republic rarely mention local desserts. And completely in vain! Of course, this is largely due to the fact that the bulk of tourists, absorbed in tasting varieties and brands of Czech beer, indulge in beer snacks. Naturally, in this situation, most people have no time for desserts. However, those with a sweet tooth will discover an astonishing variety of Czech desserts and baked goods, with distinctly Austrian flavors and baked goods with distinctly Slavic roots.
We will not dwell on popular international desserts that can be found in any country in the world - tiramisu, cheesecake, Napoleon or brownie. In the Czech Republic they also know how to cook them, and the degree of this skill depends on the specific establishment. We will talk about unique Czech desserts that you are unlikely to find outside the country.
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Trdelnik, trdlo
The most common street pastry in the Czech Republic. Tents with trdelnik can be found on every corner, and you can unmistakably determine their location by the mind-blowing smell of cinnamon, vanilla and fresh baked goods wafting throughout the area. They are hollow tubes of rich yeast dough rolled onto a rolling pin, sprinkled with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon, sometimes with crushed nuts, poppy seeds or coconut flakes, coated with honey, chocolate or hot caramel. Baked over an open fire. Without trdelniks it is impossible to imagine any folk festival, fair or street festival in the Czech Republic. It is interesting that the Slovak village of Skalica (and the cook of the Hungarian writer Josef Guadani, who worked there in the 18th century) and the ancient Cesky Krumlov are arguing for the right to be called the creators of the most popular Czech delicacy. Supporters of the latter version claim that trdelniki were invented by a city baker who decided to sell his products at a large fair. In those years, according to tradition, every merchant or artisan, in order to attract attention to the product, placed pretty girls-relatives behind the counter. The baker’s daughter was not particularly beautiful, but she was an excellent spinner. To attract attention to his product, the baker decided to have the girl bake tubes of dough, winding them on a wooden spindle and sprinkling them with cinnamon sugar right in front of admiring customers. Considering the fate of the new delicacy, we can say that the baker’s idea was a resounding success, and his marketing move turned out to be extremely successful. By the way, trdlo translated from Czech means “blockhead” or “fool”.
We have already described dumplings in detail in the section about. Sweet dumplings have a richer dough; they contain cottage cheese, soft cheese, vanillin, cinnamon, lemon and orange zest, candied fruits, nuts, fruits and berries. Served with sour cream, butter or custard, topped with butter, chocolate, jam or jam. A popular variety of sweet dumplings are szilvás gombóc(Hung.) or knedlíky se švestkami - dumplings with plums. They are round balls made from potato or curd dough, stuffed with plums or other sweet and sour fruits. Boil in boiling water and then roll in breadcrumbs, powdered sugar, coconut, poppy seeds or crushed nuts.
Bakery based on rich yeast dough of various shapes with fillings of fruits, berries, nuts, raisins, dried apricots or cream cheese. Examples include: kalach(koláč) - a small round bun and bath(vánočka) - elongated braid.
Zavin - Czech strudel. It is almost a copy of the Austrian strudel. Baked in the form of a thin roll puff pastry with fillings of apples, berries, cottage cheese, poppy seeds, chocolate. Czech confectioners serve strudel with whipped cream, ice cream, chocolate or vanilla sauce, decorated with berries and young leaves of mint or lemon balm.
Věneček- a small custard cake in the shape of a ring. Is the Czech equivalent eclairs. Its larger “brother” is vetrnik. Filled with whipped cream, custard, butter or egg white cream, topped with glaze, decorated with whipped cream, nuts or berries. Another variety of it is an eclair of an oblong shape, named, apparently, by a lover of black humor "rakvička" - coffin.
Palačinky- sweet thin pancakes. Czech confectioners make them especially tender and delicate. Served with ice cream, whipped cream, marmalade, syrup, jam or melted chocolate. Sprinkle with berries, almond chips, powdered sugar.
Oplatky- thin round waffles with filling. Derived from the word “poplatek” - board. They received this name, most likely, due to their external similarity to coins. They are baked with a relief pattern on the surface and have a pleasant golden-yellowish color. They are filled with chocolate, nougat, whipped cream, and pieces of fruit. Tastes like the famous ones Viennese waffles. The birthplace of scarves is Karlovy Vary, where they appeared on the tables of local housewives at the end of the 18th century.
Pernik - gingerbread. Baked according to old recipes in various regions of the Czech Republic. The most famous - Pardubice gingerbread(Pardubický perník) in the shape of a heart and Shtramber ears(Štramberské uši), baked in the form of balls of thin gingerbread dough.
Street food and Czech fast food
Prague, like almost the entire Czech Republic, is a place actively visited by tourists from all over the world. Therefore, it cannot do without brisk street trading. In addition to those already described trdelnikov, popular street food in the Czech Republic are hot dogs (párek), fried sausages with cauldron side dishes - potatoes with pasta and stewed cabbage. A unique version of Czech shawarma is bramborák - wrapped in potato pancake ham, bacon, salami with herbs and vegetables. In the central squares, skewers with the famous boar's knee and even a whole carcass of pigs tease with their seductive aromas. Their unusual appearance attracts hungry (and even not so hungry) customers with spirals of deep-fried potatoes strung on wooden mini-skewers - such unique chips. Well, the undisputed leader in terms of maddening aroma is smoked Prosciutto di Praga(famous Old Prague ham). According to their own taste properties it is in no way inferior to Italian prosciutto or Balkan prosciutto. The smell of fried cheese (smazak) and lángos (from the Hungarian lángos - fiery) - fried crispy flatbread with cheese, garlic sauce or sour cream - tries to compete with it.
Fast food in the Czech Republic it also has its own national “zest”. In addition to the traditional McDonald's, Burger King and KFC, it is represented by the famous European brand Nordsee (perhaps the best fast food with seafood dishes), national analogues of McDonald's Fasty's, Bageterie Boulevard and Express Sandwich (Czech analogue of Subway). The menu of international chains takes into account Czechs have an increased interest in meat, so you can find dishes with national flavor there. For example, McDonald's offers visitors the Maestro Bohemia burger from Czech beef And large portions bacon. Local eateries offer a wide selection Khlebichkov- a Czech version of sandwiches, the most popular of which are bread with ham, cheese, various smoked meats and salmon. For taste, lettuce, herbs, beer cheese, mayonnaise sauce, and butter are often added to the bread.
Czech cuisine has always been famous for its hearty and memorable dishes. But the only negative is that most of it is quite heavy. Because of this, not only guests of the country, but also the Czechs themselves always take with them something that helps digestion.
We are used to the fact that lunch should consist of at least three courses. But this does not apply to the Czech Republic. Here you should choose dishes one at a time. It’s not a fact that you will be able to eat even three times the dish. Portion sizes are quite large. It is customary to serve second courses with not one side dish, but two or several types of sauce.
In Czech cuisine, meat dishes take precedence, quite fatty dishes. The pork here is top notch that no one stands next to. Sausages and snacks (they are fried or marinated) are also in first place. Although a little fatty and heavy, it is infinitely tasty.
But first things first. Any Czech soup is called vole and comes with its own name. For example, Vole "Trencin". . The soup menu is usually served separately at the start of the meal. The soups are thick, almost like a sauce. The thickness of soups is achieved by adding semolina or pureed vegetables to them. Sometimes butter and chicken egg yolk are used. Approximately 2/3 of the first courses of Czech cuisine are pureed. In terms of popularity, the championship is held by:
- Garlic bentgrass.
- Onion bentgrass.
- Sauerkraut bentgrass from sauerkraut.
- Bentgrass with smoked products and mushrooms.
- Pureeed bentgrass.
- Soup - goulash with cheeses.
Soups are served both in regular bowls and in bread.
Of the second courses, the undisputed first place is, and will continue to be, occupied by the world-famous Boar's Knee. In Russian, this is pork knuckle. Boar Knee is baked in dark beer. It is served with three types of sauce as standard, and with more at the request of guests. In different restaurants everything is different: in some Veprevo Knee is also served with sauerkraut, in others without. The knuckle usually weighs 800 grams when finished. Minus bone - 700. Some restaurants order smaller sizes of raw materials so that one person can eat it entirely. Veprevo Knee is sold in restaurants and even on the street. Moreover, you don’t have to take it entirely, but ask for as much as you need.
Second place should be given to honey pork ribs. They are baked until crispy. This is usually done in a combi oven or on a grill. The ribs are served in the same way as the shank, with three or more types of sauce and pickled vegetables. The dish will weigh pure form not less than 700 grams. You can feed three.
Next in popularity is Svichkova with sour cream. This, as an exception, is a beef dish. Svickova is served with dumplings, also a national Czech invention - small blocks of boiled potato dough. . The dish is also served with lemon wedges, whipped cream and lingonberry sauce.
Goulash is no less popular in the Czech Republic than in Hungary. There is certainly a difference. Moreover, there are hundreds of goulash recipes in the country. Beef, pork, rabbit, liver, assorted meats - whatever. But the leader is still beef goulash. Cumin, garlic, and pepper are usually added to it. The dish is again served with dumplings, which is not surprising - dumplings are served with almost all hot dishes and soups. Sauerkraut is also served with goulash.
Another dish that we can’t help but mention is baked duck. It is usually cooked whole with spices. Served with boiled potatoes, and again - with three or more types of sauces.
The Czechs do not neglect fish either. Residents of the Czech Republic love carp very much. It is served either baked or in the form of chops, or fish soup is prepared from it. A traditional dish for Christmas is carp baked in sour cream with potato salad.
Traditional side dishes in Czech cuisine are dumplings and sauerkraut. Dumplings can be ordered as a separate dish with sauces. They will be served bacon. Boiled potatoes served as a side dish, also with fried raw smoked bacon and three types of sauce. Well, and stewed Sauerkraut cabbage, porridge and potato balls that are deep fried.
Among appetizers, Czechs prefer a cheese plate, fried cheese breaded in breadcrumbs. They use their own Hermelin cheese. Serve with sauces and cabbage. Another one of popular snacks Utopians. These are marinated sausages or bacon, cooked with fried onions and pepper.
Fruit dumplings are popular desserts; plums, apricots and strawberries are added to them. Czechs also love strudel. There is another national dish, Trdlo. Trdlo is sold on all streets, on every corner. It is prepared from dough, fried on a grill on skewers in the form of a cylinder and sprinkled with sugar. .
Czech national cuisine cannot be called very diverse. But the dishes listed are worth trying.
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