Czech Republic traditional cuisine
Pork with dumplings
Yesterday we talked about the traditional cuisine of Poland, and we decided to remain in the region and talk about the traditional cuisine of one of its neighbors, the Czech Republic.
Just as in the case with Poland, the Czech gastronomy has been heavily influenced by the tides of history and the cuisines of its surrounding neighbors. However, it in its own right influenced nearby countries, for instance many of the fine cakes and pastries that are popular in Central Europe have originated in the Czech lands.
Similar to its Polish neighbor, and to other local cuisines in the region, Czech cuisine isn’t exactly what one would call healthy or dietary in any way, shape or form, but taken in moderation you’ll surely enjoy it. The traditional food does go together great with the rather flavorful Czech beer, but more on that a bit later.
Czech dishes tend to show a very strong emphasis on meat, pork being the most common, with beef and chicken being close seconds. However goose, duck, rabbit and wild game are also part of the menu. The traditional side dish in the Czech Republic is dumplings, which are normally made from wheat or potato flour, boiled as a roll and then slices and served hot.
A traditional Czech will start with some sort of soup, soups being very popular here, some of the main ones being potato soup, garlic soup and chicken noodle soup.
Then comes the main meal which is made up of some type of meat, as mentioned earlier and a side dish. Whilst the dumplings are the most popular and traditional of Czech side dishes, there’s also an array of potato-based options, ranging from boiled to French fries, rice or potato salad.
As far as desserts go, the most famous are probably the Czech pancakes which can be filled with many things but also the traditional fruit dumplings.
Even the salads here are not exactly what one might expect from a salad, Czech salads tend to feature mayonnaise or some other sort of dressing-sauce, and also sugar, so keep that in mind.
Time to talk about beer, and its importance in Czech cuisine. The national beverage is in fact beer, and this means that Czech beer is pretty much perfect. Considering the importance of beer it makes sense for the Czech people to have invented their own delicacy meant to go with beer, pickled ermine, which is a specific type of cheese, soft on the inside and covered in a thin white film.
