Food and Drink in the Czech Republic

Czech cuisine has been influenced by Austrian and Hungarian cuisines. The national cuisine is based on ingredients that can be grown domestically, i.e. cereals, leguminous plants and potatoes. These are usually served with pork, beef or poultry and in some places, with freshwater fish.

Breakfast consists of white bread rolls or sliced bread accompanied by smoked meat products such as salami or sausages. Other food such as cheese, eggs or jam. With breakfast Czechs mostly drink tea with lemon, filtered coffee, hot chocolate or fruit juice. Lunch is often eaten at a favorite restaurant which offers a lunch menu for discount prices. Lunch usually consists of soup, a main course, and sometimes a small dessert. Dinner varies from home to home. Some prefer light dishes while others a heavy meal. More and more families are opting for fast food from take-away restaurants.

Most dishes are pork or beef but chicken, turkey, duck, lamb, rabbit and freshwater fish are also common. Czechs enjoy their sugar. Sauces, gravies and salad dressings are uncommonly sweet. A common meal for children is noodles with sugar, ground poppy seed and melted butter. The most common spices are caraway, poppy, paprika and dill. Condiments: mustard (smooth and grainy), tartar sauce, horseradish and sweet ketchup.

The Czech meal usually starts with soup. Some popular Czech soup are: potato soup with mushrooms, garlic soup with fried bread, chicken noodle soup, beef soup with liver dumplings, sauerkraut soup and dill soup made from sour milk.

Some traditional Czech main dishes are: roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, fruit filled dumplings, svickova which is pork meat with dumplings and gravy topped with cranberry jam and cream, chicken fried in breadcrumbs and usually served with boiled potatoes, cabbage patties (zelne karbenatsky) made with bacon, fried chopped cabbage and knockwurst (sausage), kolache (invented as wedding pastries in Czechoslovakia) - ham and cheese kolache is a soft, rounded, parmesan laced roll, baked golden brown and topped with pieces of hearty ham in melted cheese and Dijon mustard, sauerkraut and potato dumplings, chicken paprikas (kure na paprice) boneless chicken cut in pieces with paprika, onions and sour cream and bean goulash with beef (fazolovy gulas s hovenzim masem) made with beans, sliced beef, tomato sauce, onions and paprika.

Potatoes are a very popular side dish. Their served many ways - boiled, roasted, mashed, fried, small potato balls (croquette) etc. In traditional Czech cuisine dumplings (knedik) a dumpling made of either wheat or potato flour then boiled (as a roll of dough), cut into slices and served with gravy are the most common side dish. Two other excellent side dishes are "Bamborak" potato pancakes and "Smazeny Syr" fried cheese.

The Czech Republic has one of the oldest beer breweries in Bohemia. The Regent brewery was founded in 1379. Altogether there are more than 60 breweries in the Czech Republic.

The best grapevines grow in South Moravia. They also began to grow German grapevine types such as Nemcina (Traminer), Tarant White and Lampart White and the Klenice (Goher) types imported from Hungary.

Becherovka is a traditional high-quality Czech liqueur made from purely natural ingredients, It's made from Karlovy Vary spring waters, high-quality ethanol, natural sugar and a specific blend of herbs and spices. Known to aid in digestion.

The origins of the bitter Fernet stock date back to 1927. The recipe is a secret but the main ingredients include herbs imported from the Mediterranean region and from the Alps.

Knedlíky (Czech Dumplings)
Ingredients
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ cup milk
• 1 cup flour
• ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 to 5 slices white bread, cut into cubes
Procedure
1. In a mixing bowl, combine beaten egg, milk, flour, baking powder, and salt until smooth.
2. Add bread cubes in batter and mix well.
3. Make 2 small balls from the dough.
4. Fill a large pot about half full with water and bring to a boil.
5. Drop the dough balls into the pot of boiling water and cook 10 minutes, then roll knedlíky over and cook an additional 10 minutes.
6. Remove immediately from the water and cut in half to release steam.
7. Serve with roast pork, sauerkraut, or kure na paprice (see recipe below).
Makes 4 servings.

Kure Na Paprice (Chicken Paprikas)
Ingredients
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into chunks
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup sour cream
• Salt and pepper, to taste
Procedure
1. Season chicken with 1 teaspoon paprika, salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium to high heat and sauté chicken on both sides until thoroughly cooked. Set aside.
3. Add butter to skillet. Sauté onion until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add remaining 3 teaspoons paprika and stir.
5. Add chicken broth to mixture and boil until sauce is thickened, about 8 minutes.
6. Place chicken back in skillet. Turn heat down to low and add sour cream, mixing to blend thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve with knedlíky (dumplings).
Makes 6 to 8 servings.