Czech cuisine will come as a pleasant surprise to gourmets. Although the cuisine shows influences from neighbouring countries (Hungary, Austria and Germany), the greatest inspiration remains traditional old Bohemian recipes. The basis of Czech food are ingredients which could be grown at home – above all grains, pulses, potatoes and meat.
The eating habits of those who inhabit the Czech lands differ little from those in other European countries. Three meals are eaten in the course of the day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. The main meal of the day for most Czechs is lunch. Whether at home or in a restaurant, lunch usually consists of three courses: soup, a main dish and dessert (or salad).
Meat (maso) is an ever-present on Czech menus. The most common types of meat to appear on your plate will be pork (vepřové), poultry (drůbež) and beef (hovězí). Less common are mutton (skopové), game (zvěřina) and fish (ryba).
There are many meat dishes in the Czech cookbook, but vegetarians also have much to choose from. Diners can order vegetarian versions of mushy peas, lentil soup and various sauces (these dishes usually contain meat). Czech vegetarian dishes include fried cauliflower (smažený květák), mushroom omelette (smaženice z hub), egg and dumplings (knedlíky s vejcem) and fried cheese (smažený sýr).
If we want to identify a phenomenon peculiar to Czech cuisine, somewhat surprisingly neither meat nor any other special ingredient comes into the equation. It is a side dish! Dumplings are made in other places other than the Czech Republic, but the Czech version has the right to be called unique.
Regional specialities are one reason to strike out on a gastronomic tour of the Czech Republic. In Prague there is Prague Ham (pražská šunka); South Bohemia is the centre of attention around Christmas time thanks to its Carp farms; Pardubice gingerbread (pardubický perník) is a favourite among children across the land.
Christmas dinner wouldn’t be the same without Carp and potato salad. Another integral part of the Czech yuletide celebrations are Christmas biscuits. Some of the ever-presents on Czech Christmas tables are honey gingerbread (medové perníčky) decorated with icing, vanilla rolls, Linz pastry and Christmas loaf (vánočka) with raisins and almonds.
Ani v kategorii sladkých jídel nezačneme jinde než u knedlíků. Sladké knedlíky (ať už připravené z kynutého těsta, krupice nebo tvarohu) se plní ovocem, posypou mákem, tvarohem nebo ořechy a přelijí rozpuštěným máslem.
Beer is regarded by the Czechs themselves as their national drink – whether dark, light, mixed, wheat… There are over 470 different types of beer in the Czech lands. In all Czech restaurants, beer gardens and clubs quality beer is an essential part of the experience.
The best wine producing regions can be found in South Moravia. White wines from the area have won awards at international competitions, and some of the most popular types are Veltlínské zelené, Müller-Thurgau and Moravian Muscat. Red wines such as Frankovka and Svatovavřinecké are not far behind.
A bottle of Becherovka makes a great souvenir for visitors to the Czech Republic to take home. This bitter herb liqueur hails from the famous spa town of Carlsbad, where thanks to its curative properties, people call it the ‘13th spring’.
Soup forms the foundations
Meat, meat, meat…
For vegeterians
Dumplings or french fries?
Regional specialities
Festive meals
Traditional Czech Sweets
Beer
Wine
Becherovka
Literature lovers know Lipnice nad Sázavou as the place where author J. Hašek lived the last years of his life and where he wrote his most famous works, The Fateful Adventures of the Good Soldier Švejk. Its house with exhibits is located directly beneath a rocky ridge, on which one of the largest Czech castles was constructed at the beginning of the 14th century.
The main attraction of Kroměříž, the town nicknamed the Athens of Hanacko, is its archiepiscopal chateau, which along with the chateau gardens and flower gardens are on the UNESCO list of worldwide cultural and natural heritage sites. For hundreds of zears, the chateau served as a residence for the bishops of Olomouc, and a series of important events occurred within its walls. There are also many other sites worth seeing in Kroměříž, such as the pontifical mint, featuring a collection of church issued coins and medals, the Baroque Church of St. John the Baptist with its interior in Rococo style and the house with a Renaissance entrance section on Velké náměstí square, which houses exhibits of the Kroměříž Museum and a monument to Max Švabinský.
Rock, pop, jazz, metal, hip hop... Audiences at summer open-air festivals will enjoy these and other genres. The schedule of events taking place under the open sky this year is once again truly great, and music fans thus can look forward to an eventful summer. 