From the article you will learn what to try in Prague from food. Popular dishes, desserts and drinks that guests are greeted in Prague.
Prague has always been a city that is not only pleasant to see. There are a huge number of themed restaurants, tasting rooms, pastry shops and breweries, where you can spend as much time as looking at Charles Bridge or Old Town Square. Cuisine from all regions of the country is represented in the Czech capital, so you don’t have to leave the city to try Karlovy Vary waffles or Velkopopovecky Kozel beer.
What to try in Prague from the main dishes
"Voles" - or similar cream soup "bramborachka". In the first, the aroma of garlic is clearly felt, in the second, potatoes with mushrooms and smoked meats. An addition to the meal, and at the same time a plate, is a dense bun into which the soup is poured. Cheese and onion soup "tsibulachka" can be attributed to the same category.
Puree soups are the pride of the Czech Republic!
The shank of a young boar, which is cooked on a spit. This is the most delicious meat dish in Prague, which is prepared in all self-respecting restaurants. A huge knee is quite suitable for a whole company of hungry guys, so ask the waiters how much the finished knee will weigh.
Czech shank - dedicated to fans of meat dishes!
Pork ribs in honey sauce. High-calorie and very fatty dish, so if you are on a diet, it is better to give preference to baked duck with fruit.
What other dish to try in Prague? Order pork ribs in honey sauce - honestly, you won't regret it!
Knedliks - balls of potatoes or flour. This dish is unique in that it can be an appetizer, side dish and dessert. It all depends on what it is poured with. As a side dish, dumplings are poured with fatty sauces, as a dessert - they are stuffed with nuts, fruits and poured over with syrup.
Dumplings are often served with meat and other hot dishes.
Beef tatarak from minced beef , garlic mustard, which is decorated with raw yolk on top. Since the minced meat is raw and the egg is raw, the taste of the dish is unusual. It is customary to spread it on toast and drink beer.
It looks like a classic Tatarak, which is worth ordering in Prague
Fried cheese "Germelin" with white mold. It is rolled in breadcrumbs and seasonings, fried, and then served with fresh vegetables, cranberries or french fries.
What to try in Prague from desserts
Apple strudel. The most popular dessert to try in Prague, made from soft dough and fragrant apples. Sold wherever you can get something to eat.
What to try from desserts in Prague? Of course, strudel with ice cream!
"Payments" - thin round waffles with a variety of fillings. Waffles can be bought in bakeries, supermarkets, where they are packed in special sealed bags.
Waffle iron with a traditional "imprint". This is how Czech "payments" are obtained!
"Trdlo" - a bun in the form of a curl, in which there is no filling. Instead of filling, there is a powder of powdered sugar, nuts and cinnamon. This is a popular "street food" that you can eat in Prague.
Trdlo is often sold on the street. But you can also buy it at the bakery.
What to try in Prague from drinks
Beer, beer and more beer. In Prague, the cult of this drink, which is sold everywhere and in all forms. Beer restaurants and private breweries can be found at every turn, so a tourist simply has to visit at least a couple of such establishments. If you want to try classic options, then you should go to the brewery. They have the freshest and tastiest beer. Exotic lovers prefer beer restaurants, where up to 300 types of intoxicating drink are presented, including green, red, pink, blue with aromas of berries, vegetables, wine and Becherovka.
How to find all these establishments in Prague and, most importantly, be among the locals, and not tourists with exorbitant prices? Everything is here, as always - you need to know the places!
- You can go on an excursion - this is a thematic 3-hour route with a local resident Vyacheslav;
- Or - also a good individual route from Evgeny, who has been living in the Czech Republic for several years. The walk includes visiting three breweries in 3.5 hours.
No one has left Prague without tasting the local beer!
"Becherovka". Exclusively Czech drink, not produced anywhere else in the world. This is a strong tincture from a bouquet of medicinal herbs, which can hardly be called tasty. But to visit Prague and not try it is definitely impossible.
They say that Becherovka is not so much alcohol as medicine!
Wine. Despite the beer dominance, there are also wine cellars in the Czech capital, where they offer tastings of different varieties. They approach the process very responsibly, so in some establishments you can even order live music for wine. For example, in "Alla Stella Nera". There are also cellars that offer Moravian and Burgundy wines, as well as all sorts of Chilean, Australian and Argentinean exotics.
Moravian wines are mostly dry wines. Be prepared for this before you order and try them in Prague 😉
Gastronomic tours to Prague 2020
What dishes to try in Prague, they can tell you on thematic tours. Beer routes are very popular here, where the tourist himself can choose the places he wants to visit, and the beer guide will tell you about the features and history of the beer they offer. Tourists also like to go to medieval taverns, for example, "At the Spider", where the atmosphere is completely immersed in the Middle Ages, and not only externally.
The most "delicious" Prague routes 2020:
- - in 3.5 hours it is proposed to visit three or four establishments (for locals) in different areas. So you can explore the city and try a lot of delicious things in Prague!
- — we have already paid attention to beer lovers above, and this excursion will never be forgotten by those with a sweet tooth. Narrow streets and legends of Prague, coffee and signature Czech sweets are waiting for you;
- - everyone already knows about Becherovka, but have you ever heard of other Czech liqueurs, mead or tuzemak? On this tour, you will not only hear, but also taste.
*During food tours in Prague, mainly traditional fire-cooked dishes are served. At the same time, they have to be eaten by hand.
Excursions in Prague at the best prices
The most interesting excursions in Prague are routes from local residents. They are created by creative people who know how to beautifully present interesting places and captivate guests. All tours are conducted in Russian.
Summarize
Hearty and fatty Prague food is not for everyone, but the choice of dishes is so large that you definitely won’t have to go hungry. Now you know what to try in Prague, but this is only a small fraction of what you can see in street cafes and private bakeries. Czech chefs and confectioners are real masters who even from ordinary flour balls in sauce could create a cult dish for the Czechs!
Video tour: delicious street food in Prague
You need to know -, from hot dishes. , as well as . Individual 2020, on your own and can be booked.
In the Czech Republic they say that the most accurate clock is the stomach. And those who stayed there confirm that you used to walk around Prague, and he, my dear, now and then says: “It's time to refresh yourself!” And it's impossible to refuse. Because the Czechs feed deliciously.
Smart people lose weight before traveling to this country - they have to eat a lot and thoroughly there. However, what does it mean - you have to?! You go into a restaurant, sniff the aromas rushing from the kitchen with your nose, and immediately agree with your stomach: it's time! You can start with salads (we offer the traditional Vlachian, whose name is said to have come from the Vlach mint). Whether this is true or not is not the point. The important thing is that this salad is a true treasure. Rich, dense, tender. Prepared for one-two-three, eaten just as quickly. You can continue with fish - however, there are not so many of them in Czech cuisine. Carp is revered as the main thing, soft and fat, like a caricatured bourgeois, but if you wish otherwise, they will serve cod or salmon (both of which whet your appetite!). The next is to choose a meat dish. Fortunately, Czech cuisine is in perfect order with them. The only problem is making a choice. And this, you know, is not so simple - svichkova, pork ribs in honey, goulash, duck with cabbage, boar knee ... Oh, knowledgeable meat eaters, having heard these words, feel at the gates of a culinary paradise. Because svichkova is nothing more than soft, surrounded by gravy, stuffed with lard beef tenderloin with sour cream and dumplings. Spicy fiery goulash can be eaten with dishes - it is often served in a pot of bread. Ribs are good in all parts of the world, but Czech ribs have a special charm: they are juicy, fatty and completely golden. The sweet queen duck, accompanied by spicy cabbage, torments consumers with anticipation, but fully justifies it: it is magnificent! As for the knee of the boar, the first thing it requires is good company, for it is impossible to overcome it alone.
You can and should drink all this beauty with beer - Czech is considered one of the best in the world (although the Czechs will certainly correct you: “It is the best, sir, the best!”). Drink it a lot and willingly. Saying: “Thirst is good only because there is beer” - and reproaching overly boring teetotalers: “Think about yourself if you don’t see beer in front of you!”
Those who could not control themselves and got too carried away with a foamy drink will be saved by hot soup. There are many of them in Czech cuisine - all sorts and different. But garlic soup is considered the best resurrecting and revitalizing. Light, burning and easily returning a hard look at the surrounding reality.
Well, now let's get down to desserts (unless, of course, there is room for them in your stomach). There are also a lot of them in Czech cuisine: the most delicate puff strudels, a sweet version of dumplings, fruit rolls, palachinki (sweet pancakes with delicious fillings), trdlo - a delicious puff pastry tube, "Hot Love" - vanilla ice cream with warmed raspberry syrup, and and finally, dumplings. We offer cottage cheese, with plums inside - they are prepared simply, they are remembered for a long time. And this, you see, is the best recommendation.
Liver boar knee
For 4 persons: pork knuckle - 1.5-2 kg, dark beer - 1 l, onion - 1 pc., carrot - 1 pc., bay leaf - 2 pcs., cloves - 3 pcs., garlic - 0, 5 heads, allspice peas - 0.5 tsp, cumin - 1 tsp, parsley root - 1 pc., honey - 1 tbsp. l., mustard - 1 tbsp. l., salt, ground black pepper
Wash the shank, clean with a knife, dry with a paper towel. Wash, dry and peel vegetables. Put the shank in a small deep saucepan. Add coarsely chopped carrots, onion divided into 4 parts, garlic, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns and pour beer so that it covers the shank up to half. Pour a little water, salt well, put on the stove and cook under the lid over low heat for 1 hour. Add parsley root, cumin, turn the shank over and cook for another 60 minutes. Mix honey and mustard. Put the boiled shank in a baking dish, grease on all sides with honey-mustard sauce, salt, pepper, pour a little broth into the form. Bake for 50-60 minutes in an oven preheated to 180 ° C, brushing with sauce every 10 minutes. Serve with stewed cabbage and a glass of cold beer.
Vlach salad
For 4 persons: beef - 100 g, ham - 100 g, pickled cucumbers - 200 g, peeled apples - 100 g, potatoes - 4 pcs., eggs - 4 pcs., green peas - 1 jar, parsley - 2 sprigs, mayonnaise , salt
Boil beef, potatoes. Hard boil eggs. Wash cucumbers. Peel potatoes and eggs. Cut all the ingredients into strips 3x3 mm thick and about 2.5-3 cm long. Wash and chop the parsley. Mix everything, add green peas and mayonnaise, salt, form portions and serve.
Czech goulash
For 6 persons: beef - 500 g, onion - 1 pc., vegetable oil - 50 g, tomato paste - 70 g, beef broth - 1 liter, Borodino bread - 1/2 loaf, garlic - 1 head, light beer - 60 ml, marjoram, cumin, paprika, salt, ground black pepper
Finely chop the onion and fry in a pan in vegetable oil until golden brown. Cut the meat, send to the onion and fry for a few minutes. Pour in 30 ml of beer, stir, add tomato paste and fry for 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, finely chopped garlic to the meat, mix thoroughly, pour in the broth and put on a slow fire. Soak the bread in water, wring out, rub through a colander, pour into boiling goulash and mix again. Add cumin and marjoram, cook uncovered for 1-1.5 hours, stirring occasionally. 10-15 minutes before the end, add another 30 ml of beer. Serve with dumplings.
Salmon tartare with avocado
For 3 persons: salmon fillet - 170 g, avocado - 1/4 pcs., shallots - 2 pcs., lemons - 1/2 pcs., red olives - 2 tbsp. l., olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, tarragon - 3 sprigs
Place the salmon in the freezer for 15 minutes. Grind tarragon in a mortar with the addition of 1 tbsp. l. oils. Cut the fish into small cubes, mix with chopped shallots and lemon zest, sprinkle with 0.5 tsp. olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Place the sliced avocado into the tartare forming ring, drizzle with lemon juice, lay the chopped olives in the second layer, salmon in the third. Remove ring, garnish tartare with avocado slices and serve with tarragon oil.
Duck with sauerkraut
For 5 persons: duck - 2 kg, sauerkraut with beets - 1 kg, onion - 3 pcs., raisins - 150 g, prunes - 150 g, carrots - 1 pc., garlic - 3 cloves, thyme - 2- 3 sprigs, bay leaf - 2 pcs., salt, pepper
Cut off fat and skin from the back of the carcass, put the carcass in a saucepan, pour 1 liter of cold water and put on fire. After boiling, reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour. Strain the resulting broth and let it cool. Finely chop the separated skin with fat, put it in a roaster, put on medium heat and melt the fat. Take out the cracklings, increase the fire to maximum and put the pieces of duck grated with salt and pepper into the hot fat. Cook for 2 minutes, then turn the meat over, reduce the heat to medium and fry for about 5 more minutes. Cut the carrots into circles, crush the garlic cloves with the flat side of the knife, cut the onion into rings. Drain all the fat from the ducklings, leaving only about 100 ml, transfer the meat to a plate. Add vegetables to the roaster and fry over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Add chopped cabbage and dried fruits. Arrange duck pieces, a few sprigs of thyme and bay leaves on top. Pour in the broth so that it covers only the cabbage, let it boil, cover with a lid and send to the oven, heated to 180 ° C. Bake for about 2 hours until done.
Potato dumplings
For 4 persons: raw potatoes - 800 g, milk - 100 ml, boiled potatoes - 400 g, flour - 100 g, eggs - 3 pcs., arugula - 250 g, cherry tomatoes - 250 g, green onions - 1 bunch, vinegar - 3 tbsp. l., olive oil - 6 tbsp. l., melted butter - 2 tbsp. l., bacon - 100 g, salt, freshly ground black pepper
Wash raw potatoes, peel, grate in a cup of water, rinse, squeeze well. Boil the milk, pour over the grated potatoes, let cool. Peel boiled potatoes, mash into puree. Add to raw potatoes along with flour and egg yolks, salt and pepper, mix until smooth. Form 12 dumplings from the dough. Cook them in enough boiling salted water for about 20 minutes. Pull out, let cool. Wash the arugula, peel, tear into small pieces. Wash the tomatoes, peel the stalks, cut in half. Wash green onions, thinly slice. Mix vinegar with olive oil until smooth, salt and pepper. Bacon cut into small pieces, fry until crispy. Cut the dumplings into thick circles and fry in melted butter on each side until golden brown. Mix arugula with green onions and cherry tomatoes, season with vinegar-oil sauce, put on a plate. Arrange fried dumplings on top, sprinkle with diced bacon and serve.
garlic soup
For 4 persons: chicken broth - 1.5 l, potatoes - 5 pcs., garlic - 8-9 cloves, melted fat - 1 tsp, marjoram - 1 tsp, bay leaf - 2-3 pcs. , white bread - 1 slice, butter - 1 tbsp. l., parsley - 0.5 bunch, grated hard cheese, salt, ground black pepper
Wash potatoes well, peel and cut into small cubes. In a frying pan, heat the melted lard, pour the potatoes there, lightly fry, add the bay leaf and chopped garlic. Stir and continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a saucepan, pour over the chicken broth, salt, pepper and add the marjoram. Cook until potatoes are ready. Bread cut into cubes, fry in butter until golden brown. Pour the soup into a bowl, add the toasted slices of bread, flavored with finely chopped parsley and, if desired, sprinkled with cheese.
Gombovtsy
For 4 persons: plums - 12 pcs., cottage cheese - 600 g, semolina - 100 g, eggs - 2 pcs., salt - 1 tsp, butter - 150 g, stale white bread - 100 g, cinnamon, sugar
Mix in a blender cottage cheese, eggs, salt, 1 tbsp. l. sugar and semolina until smooth. Place in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes. Wash the plums, cut, remove the pits and pour 1/3 tsp into each fruit. Sahara. Bread dry, grate and fry in melted butter until golden brown. Remove the mass from the refrigerator, divide into 12 pieces, form them into cakes. Put in the middle of each plum, wrap it with dough, form balls, dip in boiling salted water (gombovtsy should be completely covered with water) and cook for 3-4 minutes at a moderate boil. Remove the finished gombovtsy with a slotted spoon, put on a plate, pour melted butter with fried breadcrumbs, sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and serve immediately.
Publication date:
2015-04-22
“A piece of fried ham, soaked in brine, and with potato dumplings sprinkled with cracklings, and with cabbage! Real jam! After that, beer is drunk with pleasure!... What else does a person need?
"The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik" by Yaroslav Gashek
The annual pilgrimage to the Czech Republic by millions of tourists from all over the world is associated not only with a rich historical heritage and unique ancient architecture. A full-fledged attraction of this country can be called national cuisine.
Brief description of Czech cuisine
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 sorts of sausages and various types of cabbage, from the south - she got thick rich soups, goulash and the tradition of generously seasoning dishes with spices, and porridges, dishes from meat offal and pastry can be considered the contribution of the east.
At first glance, Czech cuisine is quite simple and uncomplicated. It is based on dishes from meat and poultry, potatoes and flour products, ideally combined with the main Czech drink - beer. But the devil, as they say, is in the details. Upon closer examination, one can see that the success of Czech cuisine is based on the use of selected meats and other products of the highest quality, their skillful preparation 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-dumplings-beer”.
It is difficult to call the Czech Republic a paradise for discerning gourmets (after all, it does not have such exquisite dishes as, for example, in French or Italian cuisine), but for lovers of hearty, tasty and, what is important, inexpensive food options are simply endless. Portions in the Czech Republic are huge (and the farther from the tourist centers - the more), the prices are moderate, and you can skip a glass of freshly brewed beer with a traditional set of snacks in any establishment literally at every step - from a simple bowl to a popular restaurant.
Czech cuisine will be of particular pleasure to meat-eaters - most of its dishes are based on the use of meat (mainly pork) and poultry (ducks, turkeys). Fish in the Czech Republic can be found, but rarely. Czechs eat mainly freshwater fish. The main Czech fish is the 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 that vaguely resemble wet bread. Plentifully poured 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, fragrant soups with meat broth and mashed soups with an interesting sweet and sour flavor range (sauerkraut, sour milk or apples are usually added to soups for “sourness”). Cooks do not skimp on seasonings, adding caraway seeds, marjoram, thyme, ginger, bay leaf, pepper, paprika and fresh herbs in large quantities - dill, parsley. For density, egg yolks, semolina, flour, mashed vegetables, cream, butter are added to them. Because of their thick consistency, many Czech soups are easily confused with sauces.
Constant delight among tourists coming to the Czech Republic cause soups in bread. The soup is served in special bread "pots", inside of which the crumb has been removed. The crispy pot is topped with a pre-cut bread lid. Such a serving is typical for meat goulash soup, mushroom puree soup, thick potato, onion and many other soups. As a rule, each Czech restaurant has its own recipe for soup in bread. And it is so delicious that you yourself will not notice how you will eat not only the contents, but also the crispy pot itself, soaked in thick meat flavors and aromas!
As light first courses, meat and chicken broths seasoned with garlic, cheese and croutons are most often found.
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.
gulašova polevka- goulash soup. A popular thick soup based on pork, beef, poultry or rabbit meat. In addition to meat, offal, chicken and duck giblets can be added to it. It is thickened with flour fried in butter or lard, semolina or mashed potatoes and vegetables. It is also traditional for him to serve in bread.
česnekova polevka or česnečka - garlic soup with potatoes and smoked meats, can be prepared both quite thick (then beaten eggs are added to it), and more liquid. Often served with croutons.
koprová polevka- dill soup with sour milk according to an old recipe. It is generously flavored with sour cream and fresh herbs. And although the head after Czech beer hurts extremely rarely, but if you interfered with it the night before with absinthe, liquor, slivovitz or Becherovka, this is the best hangover remedy.
cibulova polevka or cibulačka - onion soup with croutons and cheese. Prepared in meat or bone broth. Onions are fried in lard. It has a rich, pungent taste.
hovězí polevka s játrovými knedlíčky- beef soup with liver dumplings. The "highlight" of this soup is dumplings, kneaded from slices of bread soaked in milk and minced liver.
kulajda- kulajda or South Bohemian potato-mushroom soup - an old recipe for a first course from southern Bohemia. It is rightfully considered one of the masterpieces of Czech cuisine. Prepared with milk or cream. It has a thick texture, white color and rich mushroom aroma.
zelna 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. A thick rich pork tripe soup, a traditional dish of Czech peasants. Generously seasoned with paprika, garlic and other spices (marjoram, cumin, pepper).
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Main (second) dishes of Czech cuisine
As second courses (hlavní chod), Czechs prefer meat dishes with side dishes. The first place in popularity is held by pork, followed by chicken, in third place is beef. Duck, turkey, goose, pheasant dishes are also common. Fish is much less popular, although in big restaurants you will always find a few dishes of trout, carp or cod. It is usually fried, baked in the oven or grilled. The traditional Christmas dish is baked in the oven. carp. It is baked with sour cream and garlic or cheese and garlic sauce.
Since the Czechs are meat-eaters, they cook meat dishes excellently. The meat is pre-marinated, often in the beloved Czech beer. 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 roasted duck or pork knuckle) or smaller pieces for goulash. Minced meat dishes are not typical for Czech cuisine, with the exception of wieners and sausages (utopets), which the Czechs themselves refer to as beer snacks rather than main dishes.
In the preparation of second courses are generously used seasonings and spices- onion, garlic, mustard, horseradish, marjoram, paprika, cumin, ginger, thyme, sage, coriander, cardamom, basil, dill.
Sauces, or omáčky, occupy a special place in Czech cuisine. They are served with second courses, appetizers, side dishes and dumplings. Czech sauces are mostly thick, with rich flavors and aromas. 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, diluted, depending on the belonging of the eaters to one class or another, with water, meat or vegetable broth, wine, milk, cream and even beer. They added spices, roots and herbs. Since that time, the technology for making sauces has changed little.
Sauces traditional for Czech cuisine are: garlic, tomato, cucumber, dill, onion, mushroom, creamy, lingonberry, cranberry, blackberry. To improve the taste properties, butter, cream, milk, sour cream are added to them.
- group tour (up to 10 people) for the first acquaintance with the city and the main attractions - 3 hours, 20 euros
- a walk through the little-known but interesting corners of Prague away from the tourist routes to feel the real spirit of the city - 4 hours, 30 euros
- bus tour for those who want to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the Czech Middle Ages - 8 hours, 30 euros
Main second 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 leg to the middle of the thigh. The shank can be baked in different ways. The conceptual difference between most recipes is the absence or presence of a boil 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 grilled. 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 marinade based on honey. 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, it is richly poured with thick gravy.
Svichková on sour cream (Svíčková na smetaně)
Stewed young beef or veal tenderloin with sauce. For this dish, the meat is selected especially carefully, and marinated in spices for 1-2 days before cooking. Sauce plays a key role in the taste of the finished dish. It is prepared on the basis of vegetables stewed in meat broth, which are then whipped to a puree state. 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 - gives a special piquancy to the dish. Well, a few slices of dumplings, served with the dish, will help you soak up the whole sauce.
Other second courses
veprovy rizek - breaded fried pork chop. It is a Czech variety of schnitzel or escalope. The dish got into the national Czech cuisine under the influence of close proximity to Germany and Austria-Hungary.
rečena vepřova 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 gulaš s knedlíkem - beef goulash with dumplings. A traditional recipe for stewed meat in thick gravy. "Migrated" to Czech cuisine from Hungarian neighbors. And so that not a single drop of fragrant meat gravy is wasted, several pieces of potato or flour dumplings are attached to the dish. There are a great many recipes for making the “correct” Czech goulash, the only unchanged ingredients are pieces of 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 - roast duck or goose. Belongs to the category of festive dishes of Czech cuisine. The whole baked bird is served with sauerkraut and dumplings. To get a crispy fragrant crust, the bird can be smeared with honey or a specially prepared honey mixture with salt and spices.
Lamb with rosemary
jehněčí na rozmarynu - lamb baked with rosemary. A delicious dish of rare lamb on the Czech table. Fresh sprigs of rosemary add piquancy to the dish. For baking, various pieces of lamb can be taken - the vertebral part (hřbetu), ribs (žebírka), neck (krk) and leg (kýta). Various variations of the recipe allow the use of garlic, olive oil, lemon and even marmalade. Often a sauce of sour berries (lingonberries, cranberries) is served with the dish. 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.
traditional smaženy kapr - baked carp. One of the few fish dishes of Czech cuisine, which can be called the main Christmas dish of the country. Traditionally served at the festive table at Christmas. Carps on this occasion are fattened special - large and fat. The fish is baked with sour cream and beer sauce, onion and lemon. The abdomen can be stuffed with browned onions, carrots, champignons. Before cooking, experienced housewives soak carp in beer for 1-2 days (necessarily in the dark). It is customary to wear scales from the Christmas carp in your wallet all year round - it is believed that they 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. Fish is baked in various ways - on the grill, on coals, in foil.
Czech side dishes
Describing Czech side dishes(přílohy), the story can be divided into two parts - about dumplings and everything else.
Indeed, in almost no country in the world there is a dish that even remotely resembles Czech knedlik(knedlik). It stands on some special step between bread and side dishes, replacing both for the Czechs themselves. Although, if you make a short digression into history, you may be surprised to find 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 quite German roots and comes from the German “knödel”. However, knodels, used in southern Germany and Tyrol, and being siblings (or, to be more precise, great-great-grandfathers) of Czech dumplings, could not be promoted to 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 hostess knows at least three recipes for the most “correct” home-made dumplings: potato, flour (bread) and sweet.
So, what is a classic Czech dumpling? Here comes the biggest problem. There is absolutely no way to classify dumplings into “correct” and “wrong” ones - there are many options for their preparation, in each region (what a region - in every family!) The recipe for dumplings is different and, of course, the most authentic and delicious.
Basically, all dumplings have one thing in common - steaming or boiling a dough-like mass mixed from a variety of ingredients. The composition of the "dough" may include mashed raw or boiled potatoes, flour, starch, an egg, pieces of stale bread or a roll 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, which are 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, the dough for dumplings can be yeast and yeast-free.
The beauty of dumplings lies in the fact that, having an inexpressive taste in itself, due to their consistency, they perfectly absorb all the flavors of the main dish. Therefore, they are perfect for thick soups and various sauces for which Czech cuisine is famous.
From traditional side dishes Czech cuisine includes:
- bramborová kaše- mashed potatoes. Perfect with meat dishes with thick sauces and fish;
- bramborove hranolky- classic french fries. Czechs are generally very fond of potato side dishes, so you can find potatoes in a variety of options on the menu. - boiled, baked, with fried bacon, garlic, dill, etc.;
- krokety - croquettes. Deep fried mashed potato balls. They can take the form of small sticks, roses and others;
- dusene zeli(stewed cabbage) and dušene kysane zeli(stewed sauerkraut) - prepared from sauerkraut. Another popular Czech side dish. Served both on its own with second courses, and as part of complex side dishes. It pairs perfectly with pork knuckle, drowned fish, baked ribs and other traditional Czech dishes. It can be prepared from white and red cabbage, with the addition of bay leaves, cumin, cranberries, lingonberries, carrots, apples;
- fazolove lusky- boiled or stewed green beans.
Beer snacks
A story about Czech cuisine would be incomplete without mentioning traditional beer snacks. Drinking beer in the Czech Republic is a centuries-old national tradition, which is supported by millions of tourists who come to the country with pleasure. In each drinking establishment you will find an impressive list of snacks that can quickly kill the most hungry worm and from the best side emphasize the taste merits of numerous types of beer - dark, semi-dark, ruby, light, bitter, sour, smoked, wheat and many, many others.
The goals of any good beer snack are twofold: to emphasize the unique taste of the foamy drink and to create a thirst, leading to the order of the next glass. Given 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 snack dishes
Marinated hermelin (nakládaný hermelín)
Hermelín means "ermine" in Czech. This is the name of a variety of soft, fatty cheese made from cow's milk, with white mold on the surface. Germelin is similar in taste to French Camembert. Served as an appetizer with white wine. As a beer snack, it is served marinated. 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 marinated hot pepper "feferoni" (pálivé feferonky).
As a hot appetizer, hermelin is served deep fried in breadcrumbs ( smažený hermelín) or grilled ( grilovany hermelín). During heat treatment, all facets of the taste and aroma of cheese are revealed. Outside, the cheese is covered with a delicious crispy crust, and inside it has a gentle fluid content that literally melts in your mouth. Served with garlic, cucumber-dill, cranberry or lingonberry sauce.
Drowned people (utopenci)
Drowned people - translated from Czech as "drowned people". Fatty meat sausages (marinated in a sour marinade for about two weeks) with an original serving - each sausage is cut lengthwise, circles of tomato, pickled onions, sweet peppers, pickled cucumbers, pickled pepperoni peppers, etc. are put into the cut. Sprinkle generously with fresh herbs on top.
Beef tartare with toasted bread (hovězý tatarák s topinkami)
Tartar with bread
It is a variant of the famous Tatar snack of raw ground beef with egg yolk. Served with crispbread and spices - red and black pepper, garlic, pickled onions, olives and various sauces. It is better to try tartare in proven places, with guaranteed meat quality. Remember that minced meat is raw and not cooked.
Olomouc curds (olomoucké tvarůžky)
A kind of Czech snack "for an amateur." It is a kind of ripened curd cheese. They have a sharp specific smell and taste. It is recommended to use with toast with butter. Those who dare to try this old "delicacy" of Czech peasants from the village of Lostice, in the vicinity of Olomouc (they began to produce it there back in the 15th century), say that if you do not pay attention to the smell, then according to your taste and delicate texture, cheese is more than something like smoked halibut.
Classic Snack Dishes, which you will surely find in any Czech pub or restaurant:
- tlacenka - tlachenka. This name hides the well-known brawn from pork knuckle and meat offal. Served with pickled onions, horseradish, mustard and white sauces;
- grilovane klobasky - grilled sausages. Delicious grilled meat sausages with a crispy crust. Served with various hot sauces and mustard. To form a more crispy crust, they can be cut crosswise on one or two sides;
- Tatarský biftek z lososa - raw salmon tartare. Served on lettuce with toasted toast, lemon, pepper and salt;
- pivni syr oblozeny - beer cheese. Bread with an original snack of beer cheese, salted sprat, onion, butter and a drop of beer.
Given the culture of mass consumption of beer, in every drinking establishment you will be offered fried toasts(topinky) with various fillings (minced meat or fish, cheese, anchovies, bacon, garlic, onions), as well as meat(masové prkenko) or cheesy(sýrové prkenko) assorted.
Salads
Despite their love for hearty meat and potato dishes, the 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 - bramborovy salat. In addition to boiled potatoes, it includes carrots, celery root and parsley, red onions, pickled cucumbers, bacon cracklings and other ingredients of the hostess' choice. This salad is often served at the Christmas table. The “poorer” option includes, in addition to potatoes, onions, greens and mustard dressing with vinegar or wine (served warm). Another good example of the gastronomic passions of the Czechs is the Vlach salad ( vlašsky salát) from potatoes, green peas and a set of meat ingredients - sausages, ham, veal, tongue, etc. (such a Czech analogue of Olivier salad). A peculiar echo of the common history with Austria-Hungary is a salad of sweet pickled peppers, onions, celery root and smoked meats.
Desserts, pies
As a rule, travelers returning from the Czech Republic rarely mention local desserts. And absolutely in vain! Of course, this is largely due to the fact that the majority of tourists, absorbed in tasting varieties and brands of Czech beer, lean on beer snacks. Naturally, in this situation, the majority is no longer up to desserts. However, those with a sweet tooth will discover an astonishing variety of Czech desserts and pastries, which have a distinctly Austrian touch in their flavors, and the buns have definite 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 particular institution. We will talk about unique Czech desserts, which you are unlikely to find outside the country.
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Trdelnik, trdlo (Trdelnik, trdlo)
The most common street pastry in the Czech Republic. Tents with trdelniks can be found on every corner, and you can unmistakably determine their location by the breathtaking smell of cinnamon, vanilla and fresh muffin that spreads throughout the area. They are hollow tubes of rich yeast dough wound on a rolling pin, sprinkled with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon, sometimes crushed nuts, poppy seeds or coconut flakes, smeared with honey, chocolate or hot caramel. Baked on an open fire. Without trdelniks, it is impossible to imagine any folk festival, fair or street festival in the Czech Republic.
Interestingly, the Slovak village of Skalica (and the cook of the Hungarian writer Josef Gvadani who worked there in the 18th century) and the old Cesky Krumlov argue for the right to be called the creators of the most popular Czech delicacy. Supporters of the latest version argue that trdelniki was invented by a city baker who decided to trade his products at a large fair. In those years, according to tradition, every merchant or artisan, in order to draw attention to the product, put pretty girls-relatives behind the counter. The baker's daughter was not particularly beautiful, but she spun beautifully. To draw attention to his product, the baker decided to have the girl bake dough tubes, winding them on a wooden spindle and sprinkling sugar and cinnamon right in front of delighted customers. Given 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 in Czech means "idiot" or "fool".
We have already described dumplings in detail in the section on. Sweet dumplings are distinguished by a richer dough; cottage cheese, soft cheese, vanillin, cinnamon, lemon and orange peel, candied fruits, nuts, fruits and berries are added to them. Served with sour cream, butter or custard, poured with butter, chocolate, jam or jam. A popular variety of sweet dumplings are szilvas gomboc(Hungarian) or knedliky se švestkami - dumplings with plums. They are round balls of potato or cottage cheese dough stuffed with plums or other sweet and sour fruits. Boiled in boiling water and then rolled in breadcrumbs, powdered sugar, coconut flakes, poppy seeds or crushed nuts.
Bakery based on rich yeast dough of various shapes with fillings from fruits, berries, nuts, raisins, dried apricots or cream cheese. Examples are: kalach(koláč) - a small round bun and bath(vánočka) - an elongated braid.
Zavin - Czech strudel. It is almost a copy of the Austrian strudel. It is baked in the form of a roll of thin puff pastry stuffed with apples, berries, cottage cheese, poppy seeds, chocolate. Czech confectioners serve strudel with whipped cream, ice cream, chocolate or vanilla sauce, garnished with berries and young mint or lemon balm leaves.
Věnecek- a small custard cake in the form of a ring. It is the Czech equivalent eclairs. Its larger "brother" - windnik. It starts with whipped cream, custard, butter or protein cream, poured with glaze, decorated with whipped cream, nuts or berries. Another variety of it is an oblong-shaped eclair, apparently named by a lover of black humor. "rakvička" - coffin.
Palacinky- sweet thin pancakes. Czech confectioners make them especially delicate and openwork. Served with ice cream, whipped cream, marmalade, syrup, jam or melted chocolate. Sprinkled with berries, almonds, powdered sugar.
Oplatky- thin round stuffed waffles. Derived from the word "poplatek" - fee. This name was most likely due to the external similarity with coins. They are baked with a relief pattern on the surface, have a pleasant golden yellowish color. They start with chocolate, nougat, whipped cream, pieces of fruit. The taste is reminiscent of the famous Viennese waffles. The birthplace of payments is Karlovy Vary, where they appeared on the tables of local housewives at the end of the 18th century.
Pernik - gingerbread. They are 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 Stramber ears(Štramberské uši), baked in the form of sacks 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 lively 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 peculiar version of Czech shawarma is bramborák - ham, bacon, salami with herbs and vegetables wrapped in a potato pancake. On the central squares, skewers with the famous boar knee and even a whole carcass of piglets tease with their seductive aromas. Hungry (and not even so) buyers are attracted by their unusual appearance, spirals of deep-fried potatoes strung on wooden mini-skewers - such peculiar chips. Well, the undisputed leader in terms of the maddening aroma is smoked Prosciutto di Praga(famous old Prague ham). In terms of its taste properties, it is in no way inferior to Italian prosciutto or Balkan prosciutto. It tries to compete with the smell of fried cheese (smazhak) and langosh (from the Hungarian lángos - fiery) - fried crispy flatbread with cheese, garlic sauce or sour cream.
Fast food in the Czech Republic 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 Fasty's, Bageterie Boulevard and Express Sandwich (the Czech analogue of Subway). The menu of international networks takes into account the increased interest of Czechs in meat, so you can find dishes with national flavor there. For example, at McDonald's visitors are offered a Maestro Bohemia burger made from Czech beef and a large portion of bacon. You can find a large selection in local eateries. Khlebitchkov- the Czech version of sandwiches, the most popular of which are bread with ham, cheese, various smoked meats and salmon. For taste, lettuce, greens, beer cheese, mayonnaise sauce, and butter are often added to the bread.
A trip to the Czech Republic will give you not only an acquaintance with the history of the country and its sights, but also the opportunity to taste the colorful and surprisingly delicious dishes of Czech cuisine. The unique recipes of Czech culinary specialists, like the history of the state, have been aged for thousands of years. In this article, we will talk about the features of national food in the Czech Republic and the most interesting dishes of local cuisine.
The origins of the national dishes of the Czechs
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 meet Austrian schnitzel, Hungarian goulash, German sauerkraut and roast goose. Some of the Czech dishes are primordially Slavic: soups, cereals, side dishes.
In the photo on the right (click to enlarge) is 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 in the Czech Republic have acquired their own special taste qualities, and they are prepared in Czech style with the addition of their own ingredients. We will not look into cookbooks now, but will take a short tour of the dishes that you can try in Czech restaurants.
Features of Czech cuisine
Czechs love sweets. Even in salads, sauces and gravies, they add sugar, which makes the dishes sweetish. For example, Czech children love sweet noodles with poppy seeds and baked milk.
Among the spices loved by the Czechs, we will name: cumin, marjoram, poppy, red pepper, ginger, dill. Mustard is attached to all meat dishes that are marinated in vinegar. Sweet ketchup is also a favorite Czech sauce.
The main national dishes and desserts are very fatty and high-calorie. In addition, 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 - is to abuse food.
Soups - their varieties and features
Czechs call soups “voles”, without them it is impossible to imagine Czech cuisine. As in the Russian tradition, soups are given a place at the very beginning of the meal. Czech soups are dense in texture, often more like sauces. When cooking, semolina or mashed vegetables, butter and egg yolks are added to them.
Depending on the main ingredient, there are: garlic soups, sauerkraut, onion, vegetable, smoked meats, mushrooms, goulash soups, cheese, beer soups with cumin, sour cabbage soups with apple, dill soups with sour milk and others .
The dish is served on 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, in which about 10 cloves of garlic are placed. They bring it in rye bread. It is an excellent antimicrobial agent. It is clear that you should not go on a date after such a meal, unless you try the dish with your lover.
If you like meat, order goulash soup. It has a lot of meat, it is mashed and looks like thick porridge.
Cold soup on beer will seem unusual. Grated bread, sugar, raisins, lemon are put in beer. Not every gourmet can withstand 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 it is prepared. It contains milk, sour cream, egg, flour and dill. The taste is unique and not for everyone.
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, in the photo 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 for a certain time in beer, then boiled, then smoked. It becomes juicy and tender. It is usually served with sauces, mustard or horseradish, and sauerkraut can also be brought. Czech food is also prepared on the street on the grill. Huge shank are fried, optionally cut off as much as you want.
An old Czech dish “vepro-knedlo-zelo”. This is baked pork with dumplings and stewed sauerkraut. All this is poured abundantly with thick gravy. Can the stomach "survive" such a dish?
Goulash has always been a traditional food in the Czech Republic. Each restaurant has its own recipe for this dish. It can be beef, pork, rabbit, poultry, liver or assorted. Goulash is served with sauces, always with dumplings, sometimes with sauerkraut, seasoned with garlic, cumin.
Meat dishes surprise with their variety and method of preparation. And what are the sauces for them! We didn't talk about pork necks, hams, schnitzels, roasted duck with spices, Czech sausages. Order, try, enjoy!
Fish lovers will not see diversity in Czech cuisine. Traditionally at Christmas, Czechs roast carp and eat it with potato salad. In restaurants and cafes on the menu there are: fish soup from carp, chops or fried carp. If there is room left in the stomach after meat, take it for fish, you will not regret it.
Side dishes for main dishes
The main and indispensable side dish in the Czech Republic is dumplings. Flour or potato dough is steamed, liver, meat, onion or cabbage are placed inside. Dumplings are laid out in slices for dishes, mainly meat. They can be served with sauce and bacon. There are sweet dumplings, they put fruit or cottage cheese and sprinkle with sugar.
Potato dishes, cabbage, vegetables, and croquettes are also popular side dishes.
Try ”bramboraki” - potato pancakes (like our potato pancakes, in the photo on the right, click on the photo to enlarge). They put marjoram (aromatic seasoning from a perennial plant) or meat.
Before ordering a side dish, make sure that it is not included in the second course.
Salads and beer snacks
Among the salads, we note “Bramborovy salat”. In addition to potatoes, they put carrots, parsley root, pickled cucumbers, red onions, bacon cracklings and other ingredients at the request of the cook. Czechs prepare this salad for the Christmas table. Salad "Vlashsky" will remind you of the usual "Olivier".
Czechs love cheeses and dishes with this product. The national dish is considered to be "camembert" - a cheese fried in breading. It is served hot with sauces or cabbage. Another national snack is “drunks”, these are pickled sausages or sausages seasoned with pepper and onions.
Abundance and variety of sauces
Czech sauce is an independent gourmet dish. Several centuries ago, the basis of the sauce (it was called yiha) was flour fried in fat. Wine, water or beer, spices and roots of various spices were added to it. It was an independent dish, sometimes it was served with meat.
Nowadays, cucumber, horseradish, tomato, garlic, dill, onion, etc. can be a fundamental ingredient in the sauce. They are called “omachki” (from the word “dunk”). Such a sauce is prepared on the basis of the juice of fried meat, sour cream or wine. Omachki is served with meat and potato dishes.
Czech desserts
This is a roll of thin dough, inside it there is a filling: fruits, berries, nuts, poppy seeds, chocolate, cottage cheese. Served with whipped cream, ice cream or chocolate syrup.
Trdelnik - empty tubes, made on an open fire, covered with vanilla, icing sugar or cinnamon. In Russian, the word is translated as "fool", A hint that the sweetness is empty inside.
Another interesting cake, especially with its name, is “Rakvicka” (in Russian “coffin”). It is a popular dessert among Czechs. The cake has an oblong shape, it has a lot of sugar and cream.
At the end of the dinner, if you can, order “palachinki” (pancakes). They will be served with ice cream or whipped cream. By the way, the Czechs are very fond of ice cream, it is sold everywhere and in different variations. Among the traditional Czech desserts, we highlight “Hot Love” - vanilla ice cream filled with hot raspberry syrup.
Favorite drinks in the Czech Republic
Of course, beer. About 70 breweries work for the benefit of the worldwide fame of Czech beer. Tasting the products of these factories is a favorite pastime of most Russian tourists.
An excellent process of digestion will be facilitated by the national herbal liquor "Becherovka" or tea with lemon. 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 stalls, buying food from vending machines, in snack bars, canteens, patties, cafes and restaurants. Well, pubs are simply innumerable.
If you go to a cafe or a restaurant, then be prepared for some of the 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 down at your table, this is quite normal. Take it philosophically, because there will be a chance to make friends.
Another surprise will be the dog that the owner brought to the place where people eat. Czechs are very fond of dogs, and animals in general. The dog can sniff your table, food and it will be in the order of things.
Do not rush to order several dishes, they are all satisfying, the portions are large, so get full gradually, ordering dishes at regular intervals.
Desserts are not eaten in the Czech Republic after the main courses: it is a small snack if you caught hunger by surprise, or the lunch is too short.
It is customary in the country to wash down food with a considerable amount of beer, because 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, waiting for the foam to settle. Do not order several varieties at the same time. Snacks should also be taken along with the beer.
If alcohol is not your drink, then order tea and a piece of Prague cake.
You can dine on weekdays in restaurants offering business lunches (danny nabidke). It includes a main course, salad, dessert and a drink.
Tips may not be included in the bill. If you did not like the service and food, then tell in advance so that the bill is not rounded up, but the calculation is made strictly according to the menu. However, you will find establishments where tips are included in the bill.
Pay attention to the fact that the Czechs get up early and go to bed early, so they start breakfast around 9 am, lunch close to noon, and dinner runs until 9 pm. After this time, it will be difficult to find an institution with a full menu.
Products as a souvenir from the Czech Republic
Tourists try to bring something unusual from the Czech Republic. Often, products are also bought as a souvenir. The most demanded gifts from drinks are liqueurs, vodka, beer, Moravian wines.
Those with a sweet tooth take with them to their homeland payments, strudel, Prague cake, gingerbread. Cheese lovers buy Germelin, Olomouc curds as a souvenir.
When taking products 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).
The beauty of the Czech Republic cannot be fully known without tasting traditional dishes - the national pride of the country. But going into any, even the most modest restaurant, you get lost in front of a huge selection of first and second courses, not to mention the variety of beer snacks, which would be quite enough for a separate menu.
By the way, if you decide to taste all the most delicious and famous dishes of 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-calorie, satisfying; Czechs are very fond of meat (poultry, game, pork and beef), cooked in a variety of ways. And the portions in restaurants are so large that it is quite possible to order one dish for two ... it remains only to decide what to order?
We present the TOP 10 most famous and delicious dishes of traditional Czech cuisine, which you should definitely try.
The traditional delicious dish (Рečené vepřové koleno) is comparable to spaghetti in Italy or plov in Uzbekistan and is a real gastronomic brand. Fragrant, juicy, ruddy, ready-made pork knee on the bone weighs almost a kilogram and is ordered, as a rule, for 2-4 people. It is prepared in every restaurant and pub, but it is served differently: with horseradish, tomatoes, garlic and spices, not to mention numerous sauces and gravies.
A baked leg with mustard and horseradish with beer will cost 200 crowns. If you order only a knee, its cost will be 150-160 kroons.
Knedliks
Knedliks are the holy of holies of Czech national cuisine. Although, the most interesting thing is that initially this dish belonged to the Austrian and German cuisines, but today it has become the national dish of the Czech Republic, its culinary symbol. In fact, it is an oblong piece of dough boiled in a large amount of water or steamed (kneaded with flour or with the addition of potatoes), which is then cut across like a loaf and served as a side dish, for example, to the same baked knee. Interestingly, the dumplings themselves are inexpressive 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 sprinkle dumplings with sweet berry syrup and decorate with fruits, you get a 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 main courses at the rate of one for 2-3 people.
Drowners, clobas, tlachenki
Such beer snacks as croutons, chips or nuts simply fade against the backdrop of a 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:
Drowners, which on the menu look like utopenci - rather vigorous bacon soaked in vinegar marinade, because of their bright taste, they are used only with beer.
Fried sausages, they are also klobasa - a product that tastes less sharp; these mouth-watering sausages are good on their own, and in combination with a foamy drink they become simply divine.
Tlachenka (and in Czech - tlacenka) is a meat dish resembling strong jelly or brawn, made from pork legs, tongue or offal and consumed with vinegar. When serving, it is flavored with pepper, onion and vinegar.
Advice! In pubs and restaurants in the Czech Republic, they always cook in the morning and serve food only freshly prepared. Therefore, if you want to try the most famous dishes, it is better to go to a meal in the morning or closer to dinner, because. by evening, there is no trace left 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 in the Czech capital it is not at all surprising that there are numerous chewing tourists looking at the sights with a sausage in one hand. Among the street assortment, you should try Bavarian, Old Prague, Prague and Wenceslas sausages, the cost of which ranges from 50 to 80 kroons. The price includes dumplings or bread and sauces: mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup.
Vepro-knedlo-zelo
If you decide to conscientiously taste local delicacies, you won’t get off with one pork knee. Be sure to order at the restaurant such a hearty dish as Vepřo-knedlo-zelo, which is fried pork with stewed cabbage, served with dumplings.
Usually, for cooking, portioned parts of the shoulder blade or loin are used, marinated in spices and first fried in a pan, and then baked in the oven. During the roasting process, the pork is poured with broth and the resulting juice, so that as a result the meat is very tender and juicy, literally melting. Czechs are generally very fond of and skillfully cook pork, which, moreover, is much cheaper than lamb or beef meat. Well, stewed cabbage for a side dish is a classic of the genre, just like in Germany.
You can order this legendary dish from the Strahov Monastery for some 140 crowns.
Czech soups
To be in the Czech Republic and not taste the local soups - polevki - is a real crime. The first dishes here are very hearty, rich, home-style delicious. They can rightly be considered the property of the country. Liquid transparent soups are not about Czechs, no. Thick first courses are respected here, and vegetable purees, semolina or flour mash are usually added to create the appropriate consistency. An unusual ingredient used in soups and giving an interesting taste can be called fried yeast.
Note! Soups are often served in a bread loaf - be sure to try it, it's very beautiful, but most importantly - delicious!
The most popular first courses in the Czech Republic are:
Česnečka - fragrant and unusually tasty soup with garlic and smoked meats,
Pivní polévka - an original beer soup served with cheese toasts,
Bramboračka - the famous potato and mushroom soup; by the way, it is this, according to tradition, that is served in bread,
Kulajda - a thick soup with mushrooms and potatoes, flavored with sour cream, served with a boiled egg.
A portion of Czech soup costs from 40 crowns and more.
Goulash
It would seem that what makes the traditional dish of Hungary in 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 from veal, rabbit, lamb and cold cuts. There are Segedin, rural, hunting, Slovak, Hungarian and other types of goulash. We advise you to try one of its variations in authentic Czech establishments - this is not a tourist dish, so it is easiest to find it in restaurants oriented towards locals.
The cost of 200 gr, for example, Pilsen beef goulash with dumplings, is 100-120 kroons.
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 fried carp (in the menu - pečený kapr) - this dish is an indispensable element of the Christmas festive table. You should also not refuse baked trout - Pečený pstruh.
It costs 1 fish 110-150 crowns.
Olomouc curds
Cheese is loved in the Czech Republic, especially as a beer snack. Be sure to try the soft Germelin cheese, which resembles Camembert with its white mold, as well as varieties such as Pivni Syr and Zlata Niva.
But the most important cheese dish to be tasted in the first place is breaded fried Olomuk curds. By itself, Olomouka cheese is made only in the Czech Republic and has a specific unpleasant smell, which, however, completely disappears when frying. Olomouc curds go especially well with beer and ordinary rye bread with onions.
A serving of fried cheese (150 gr) with Tatar sauce will cost 120-150 kroons.
Trdlo
You can taste trdelnik, or trdlo, he is also a “fool”, basically only on the street. This sweet pastry is made from rich yeast dough, which is wound on 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 fragrant coconut flakes.
Interestingly, similar pastries, though under different names, are baked and sold on the streets of Hungary and Slovakia.
One trdlo costs 45-50 kroons, and if you supplement its taste with nutella, then 60 kroons.
Strudel
Despite the fact that there are many national desserts in the Czech Republic (trays, colaches, etc.), the leader in taste and demand is the good old German-Austrian strudel, which you can recognize on the menu by the word “závin”.
It is prepared here at the highest level, wrapping a variety of fillings in thinly rolled unleavened dough: fruits, berries, cottage cheese, etc.
