In the US Americans have many "comfort foods" in the fall and winter. Do Czechs have certain foods that are mainly ate in the fall and winter? We like carmel apples, apple pie, hot cider w/ spices, hot cocoa, marshmallows toasted over a fire (if one has a fireplace in home), mincemeat pie, eggnog and there is even special coffee cream for fall/winter--pepermint mocha, eggnog, ginger spice and pumpkin spice. Do you have any of these same foods? What different ones do you have?
I know in the winter, my husband likes grok (I don't know how to spell it) which is czech rum with hot water and sugar. He also likes (I don't know the name) heated red wine with cinnamon stick, whole cloves, sugar. I guess those are more like comfort drinks than food, but they are still good. I don't like red wine so I make it with white. It's very good.
svařené víno or svařák for short - i believe it's called mulled wine in english?? although the spices may be a wee bit different...
We also drink "vařonka" - It is a special, hot and sweet alcoholic drink. I know a lot of different version of vařonka : from Místek, from Ostrava, from Frenštát...etc. We drink it in autumn and winter and people say, that if you drink it, your body will drive away all autumny spirits and if you wake up with thick head, there are only new winter spirits (in your head). But be careful, don't exaggerate it - if you drink slightly more vařonka, you won't be able to know what is your name... :lol: 200 g of sugar, 3 dl water, 150 g of honey, 3 pieces of lemon, 6 dl of vodka (or some other distillates like czech rum or meruňkovice, --but no slivovice, because it's too expressive), a bit of cinnamon, 6-8 red-appels, 3-5 bullets of allspices. Make a light caramel from the sugar, add honey, water, cinnamon, red-apples, allspices and than boil it. If it's flavoury enough, strain through it, add vodka and heat up it again (but don't boil). Hot drink pour to some glasses and add pieces of lemon...
Ok, this might sound like a stupid question, but I know Europe uses different measurements than we usually use. So does the g stand for grams? We usually measure sugar in cups or tablespoons. What does the dl stand for? I apoligize in advance for my ignorance.
Yes, g is gram. dl is deci-litre - 1/10 of litre. What if there are cups or spoons with different sizes?
No, a cup is a measurement. It might look like this: then the markings would be 1 and 1/2 cup or 2 and 1/3 cup. or you can get smaller ones that measure 1/2 cup or 1/3 cup. They also measure in ounces. A tablespoon or teaspoon measurement would look like this: that group is usually 1 tablespoon, 1/2 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon, 1/2 teaspoon, 1/3 teaspoon, 1/4 teaspoon, and 1/8 teaspoon. Pretty much every American kitchen has these utensils.
:lol: well I guess I need one of those to make vařonka. Hopefully I can find one here in the states. :wink:
As near as I can tell, 200g granulated sugar = 1 cup 340g honey = 1 cup 1 dl = 0.42 cup So, in English measuring units, the recipe should read: 1 cup sugar 1-1/4 cup water 1/2 cup honey (a little less, probably) ... 2-1/2 cup vodka ... (and yes, I did google the specific gravities of sugar and honey--I'm such a geek!)
Hey Sova, thanks for being a geek! :wink: So how much is a bit in European measurements? :wink: Just kidding! :wink: :lol: On a more serious note, is vařonka something one can make and bottle to give as a Christmas gift or does it need to be consumed within the same day of preparation like svařák? I tried bottling svařák once with the spices. The cinnimon stick changes the color and becomes too strong by the next day.
Both my husband and step-daughter have never heard of vařonka. They are Bohemian from Budjovice. So I wonder, is vařonka Moravian? Also, what are some more home-made drinks? To narrow it down, I'm interested in Czech alcoholic drinks that I can bottle and give as Christmas gifts to a few friends. Since Czech liquor is hard to come by, it would have to be something that can be made with vodka or wine or anything that I can purchase here in the States. One more question? How do you carmelize apples? Do I have to peel and shredd them first? Oh, and some more questions. How much does this recipe make? Can you bottle it or do you have to drink it right away? Do you drink it as a glass like a glass of wine or as a shot? Sorry if I sound like a doof. But Thanks in advance for all your help.
I learned in school that smallest unit of information is YES or NO. So I am confused now. It is "YES cinnamon " or "No cinnamon". :lol:
Hi Everyone, Thanx for the drink ideas! I guess Americans are more of snackers than Czechs :wink: . Would these drinks be good for dessert with apple pie? Also, do Czechs have cranberry related drinks or food during this season? I saw cranberry schnapps at the grocery store and wondered what I could do with it. Any suggestions? dekuji , gypzy
Yes, vařonka is moravian... I think I made a dictionary mistake... I didn't think apple as a kind of fruit...but spice called "hřebíček" in czech...there is written "hřebíček = red-apple, clove" in my dictionary...but "clove" mean also something else, so I used "red-apple"...When I looked in another dictionary, there wasn't written "red-apple" but "rose-apple".....It could occur me, that it's quite strange... :roll: I made vařonka by the recipe yesterday and I think that if you make it from rum, you leisurely can use only a half of the sugar...it was quite too sweet In my opinion, it' s better to drink it right away...We always drink it hot (like "svařák")...so I don't know how taste it if it become cold... :lol: And we drink it as a glass like a glass of wine, but it depends whether you use short alcohol or not... If it's too short, just add some water... 8)
So I guess I should search for a spice called "rose-apple clove" I've never heard of it but I'll search for it. Yes, but couldn't I bottle it and give it as a gift and then people could heat it in the microwave or on the stove as they decide to drink it? What is "short" alcohol? Thanks for all your help with this. :lol:
