casseroles

Discussion in 'Food & Drink' started by gypzy, Feb 3, 2007.

  1. gypzy

    gypzy Well-Known Member

    Do Czechs cook casseroles? Or is this just an American thing? If so, what is put in Czech casseroles? I think about this whenever I take a small piece of cabbage, small piece of dumpling and small piece of pork and combine on fork. I thought those combos would make a good casserole. The unspoken rule for American casseroles is that it needs meat, at least one veggie, starch, dairy and/or cheese.
     
  2. wer

    wer Well-Known Member

    Gypzy, I've no idea what you mean by "to cook casseroles". For me, the word casserole means only a (cooking) pot. I suppose you don't ask whether we use pots for cooking - so, could you elaborate it a little for my understanding?
     
  3. gypzy

    gypzy Well-Known Member

    Ooops :oops: Sorry wer,

    In America casserole is a type of one-dish meal. I didn't even realize translation dif. In the states we do have casserole pot/dish. They are usually made of glass or pottery. When I was saying casserole I meant the meal type. These are typical to make for family reunions or Church banquets.
    To make a casserole one uses meat unless they are a veggetarian, potatoes or pasta, a few veggies and cheese or cream. They are baked in the oven. Some popular American casseroles are tuna with pasta and cheese, macaroni and cheese (not the stuff in the "blue box"). You can add onions to both and ham to mac and cheese. My favorite is one I think is called sheperd pie. It has ground beef mixed with tomatoe paste and sauce, green beans, mashed potatoes and cheese.
    Do Czechs make one dish baked meals? I hope I cleared up what I meant.
     
  4. Kanadanka

    Kanadanka Well-Known Member

    sunka-fleky is definitely a casserole, and it is Czech. It's made with small square noodles mixed with diced ham, with egg/cream poured over top and then baked. Some add shredded cheese on top as well, though most don't. (this is not a recipe, just a description) :)
     
  5. Karel_lerak

    Karel_lerak Well-Known Member

    I think we have much more such dishes, but we don't have a special name for them. It's just called e.g. "zapečené brambory se šunkou a sýrem" etc.
     
  6. Polednikova

    Polednikova Well-Known Member

    I think you're going to think I'm being pedantic here here but in English, I would always presume that a 'casserole' had meat in it. I wouldn't describe a dish made with pasta, even if it is cooked in the oven and even if it had ham in it, as a casserole. Another word for casserole is a stew and that definitely is predominantly made from meat.

    A generic word for a dish like gulas, for example, would be a casserole or a stew.
     
  7. alenastef

    alenastef Well-Known Member

    I think we define this kind of dishes by the beautiful czech word eintopf.
     
  8. Polednikova

    Polednikova Well-Known Member

    I think I'd have to be desperate before I tried to pronounce that in public!
     
  9. Wayne05

    Wayne05 Member

    Actually eintopf is a German word that had staying power in česky.

    In German it means a one course meal or casserole. Ein Topf literally is one top or lid.
     
  10. ursula

    ursula Well-Known Member

    hi there gypzy
    sheperds pi is originally english. and whe i was growing up my grandmother told me only lazy people and"aimis" made casseroles. so what happened? i married an ami. but i still dont do casseroles.
    ursula
     
  11. Polednikova

    Polednikova Well-Known Member

    Not sure what an "aimi" is! But shepherd's pie was originally a way of using up meat that was left over from the Sunday joint. The cold meat was put through a mixer and made into a shepherd's pie.

    To be pedantic again - learning a new language has made me look at my own more carefully - I wouldn't describe shepherd's pie as a casserole either. A casserole to me has pieces of meat, not minced meat.
     
  12. ursula

    ursula Well-Known Member

    hi again
    my mistake, its supposed to be ami, an american. my typing is lousy
    ursula
     
  13. Karel_lerak

    Karel_lerak Well-Known Member

    In my opinion the German Eintopf is usually liquid, something as thick soup, and the American casserole is baked. Or am I wrong :?:
     
  14. Jana

    Jana Well-Known Member

    There is a delicious Czech recipe for a "casserole" - vepřové kotlety nebo kuřecí plátky ve šlehačce (yummy)!
     
  15. Wayne05

    Wayne05 Member

    It appears that my German needs work....or my old brain.

    Topf means container or pot rather than lid. So "ein Topf" is "one pot"
     
  16. Wayne05

    Wayne05 Member

    Karel wrote:

    "In my opinion the German Eintopf is usually liquid, something as thick soup, and the American casserole is baked. Or am I wrong"

    I agree with you Karel. Most German Eintopf are based on cooking with a liquid base, such as a stew or Gulaš. As ovens became more common, the name was sometimes applied to baked dishes as you would find in the "low country" of northern Germany.
     
  17. ursula

    ursula Well-Known Member

    you are right wayne. but then what do i know. now let me go back to playing dungeon siege.
    ursula
     
  18. gypzy

    gypzy Well-Known Member

    Wow, I had no idea my question about casseroles would stir up quite a conversation. I found the def of casserole at www.m-w.com/dictionary/casserole. You can also find more links about casseroles here.

    eptymology is French....possibly originating from Greek kythanos.
    date: 1708
    1. a dish in which food may be baked or served
    2. food cooked and served in a casserole
    3. a deep round usually porcelian dish with a handle used for heating substances in the labratory

    It doesn't say what type of food persay to cook in it. I have always believed that it needed at least two of the main food groups; meat, starch, dairy, veggies, just like when one would have a plate of food for a meal.
     
  19. Polednikova

    Polednikova Well-Known Member

    Just goes to prove that some of us don't have anything better to do! Or, like me, we do but need what I call 'displacement therapy' as an excuse for not doing it!
     
  20. gypzy

    gypzy Well-Known Member

    From the name I kinda figured that.

    [/quote]...growing up my grandmother told me that only lazy people and amis make casseroles...
     

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