Czech Recipes And Cuisine
Posted on December 4, 2008
Czech cuisine is very much influenced by the country’s neighbors in central Europe, but a also contains unique elements of its own. There is very much an emphasis on meat dishes, especially pork, but also beef and chicken, and sometimes duck, goose, rabbit or wild game. On the other hand, fish dishes are comparatively rare, with the exception of trout or carp, the latter of which is eaten at Christmas.
Here are some popular Czech dishes:
- Knedliky – Dumplings made either from wheat flour and stale bread, or from potato. They are cooked by boiling, and served sliced, often as a side dish.
- Veprová pecene s knedlíky a se zelím (“Vepro-knedlo-zelo” for short) – Roast pork with dumplings and cabbage. In Bohemia, sauerkraut is used, but in Moravia either fresh cabbage, or sauerkraut with sugar is used.
- Svícková na smetane – Roast beef covered with a thick sauce made using cream as well carrots and parsley, and served with dumplings. This dish is traditionally served with a spoon of cranberry compote and a slice of lemon.
- Bramboráky (also known as “cmunda”, “vošouch”, “strik” or “striky”) – Fried pancakes made from grated potatoes.
- Utopenci – Pickled bratwurst sausages.
- Smažený sýr – A thick slice of cheese, coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried. Served with the Czech version of tartar sauce (“tatarská omácka”).
- Ovocné knedlíky – Fruit dumplings made by coating fruit (a variety of different fruits may be used) with potato dough and boiling. This may be eaten as a main dish, or a dessert. Plum dumplings (švestkové knedlíky) are especially popular at Easter and Christmas.
- Koláce – Pastry filled with fruit or cheeses inside a bread roll.
- Vánocní cukroví – Cookies eaten during the Christmas period.
- Vánocka – A bread-like cake cooked during the Christmas period. It is very rich with eggs and butter, contains almonds and raisins, and is flavored with lemon rind and nutmeg. It is traditionally made by preparing braids of dough, and stacking them on top of each other before cooking.
By S. Tanna. Originally published at http://www.recipesmaniac.com/cook_czech.php – visit this site for more information, photographs and cook books.
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