Czech cuisine is not exactly a synonym for healthy cooking, but everybody will probably
find some meals they'll love. It may be the potato soup, the traditional
roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, the fruit filled
dumplings, or the apple strudel.
Czech cooking and
eating habits have been shifting towards a healthier lifestyle, but traditional Czech recipes
are still very
popular - and those tend to be high in calories, fat
and sugar.
Sauces and condiments are popular. Below are some Czech food staples:
Soups
A Czech meal often starts with soup
(polévka). Some popular Czech soups are:
Potato soup (bramborová polévka or bramboračka) Garlic soup (česneková polévka or česnečka) Chicken noodle soup (kuřecí polévka s nudlemi) Beef soup with liver dumplings (hovězí
polévka s játrovými knedlíčky) Sauerkraut soup (zelná polévka or zelňačka) Dill soup, made from sour milk (koprová polévka or koprovka)
Why not try and cook bramboračka yourself while in Prague? Experience the local cuisine hands-on with the Chefparade Cooking School! You will prepare a traditional Czech meal, have fun and learn something new!
The Main Course The main course (hlavní chod)
usually consists of meat (maso) and a side dish
(příloha). The
most
popular meats are chicken (kuře) and pork (vepřové),
followed by beef (hovězí), often served with
some kind of sauce
(omáčka). Fish is not very common although trout
(pstruh) or cod (treska) are sometimes
served. Salmon (losos) and seafood (plody moře) are served
in better restaurants. The mackerel (makrela) is a popular fish
to grill over open fire in summer. Carp (kapr) is traditionally
served on Christmas Eve
Some well-known Czech main dishes are:
Beef goulash (a thick beef stew) with dumplings (hovězí guláš s knedlíkem) Beef sirloin with dumplings and vegetable cream sauce (svíčková na smetaně, knedlík) Roast pork, dumplings and sauerkraut (vepřová pečeně, knedlík, zelí or vepřo-knedlo-zelo) Pork schnitzel - a slice of pork, breaded and fried (smažený vepřový řízek) Roasted duck with sauerkraut and dumplings (pečená kachna se zelím a knedlíkem) Fried cheese - a thick slice of cheese, breaded and fried (smažený sýr) Roasted chicken with potatoes (pečené kuře s brambory) Stuffed bell peppers with tomato sauce (plněná paprika s rajskou omáčkou) Breaded and fried mushrooms (smažené žampiony) Fruit-filled dumplings (fruit wrapped in dough, boiled, and served with sugar, ground poppy seeds, cottage cheese and melted butter): plum, apricot, strawberry, blueberry (kynuté ovocné knedlíky: švestkové, meruňkové, jahodové, borůvkové)
Dessert (moučník, dezert or zákusek) comes
in many varieties. Some are rather fatty due to the use of
butter
(máslo) and whipped cream (šlehačka), some are light and fluffy. In general, Czech desserts and cakes (dorty) are not overly sweet. Some popular desserts are: Crepes (palačinky)
filled with jam (džem) or fruit (ovoce) such as strawberries
(jahody), chocolate (čokoláda), whipped cream (šlehačka) and sometimes nuts (oříšky) Honey cake called Medovník Fruit-filled dumplings (ovocné knedlíky) Apple strudel (jablečný závin) Cake (dort) Ice cream sundae (zmrzlinový pohár)
Beverages
As far as drinks (nápoje)
go, a Czech meal is often accompanied by the national
beverage, which is
beer (pivo). If you're not in the mood for beer,
you can have a mineral water (minerálka), a variety of fruit juices, such as orange
juice (pomerančový
džus), apple juice (jablečný džus), pear juice (hruškový džus), or a
soda (specify the kind because soda in Czech means "soda
water"). Czechs also like to drink tea (čaj)
with sugar (cukr) and lemon (citrón),
and coffee (káva)
with or without milk (mléko)
or cream (smetana).
The most common Czech side dishes are:
