Exclusive Prague Tours
  • Home
  • Tours
    • What You'll See >
      • Prague's Old Town
      • Prague's Jewish Quarter
      • Prague's Lesser Quarter
      • Prague Castle
      • Day Trips
  • Concierge
  • Guidebooks
    • Autographed Prague Guidebooks
  • Contact
  • Hotels
  • Travel Shop
    • Accessories >
      • Electronics for Your Trip
      • Electronics Accessories
      • Travel Books and Journals
    • Gift Vouchers >
      • Old Town Tour Gift Voucher
      • Jewish Quarter Tour Gift Voucher
      • Prague Castle Tour Gift Voucher
      • Lesser Tour Gift Voucher
      • Buy a Tour Voucher >
        • Jewish Prague
    • Books & DVDs >
      • Books by Czech Authors
    • Maps
  • Prague Blog
  • Dining
    • Czech Cuisine
    • Czech Beer
    • Prague's Top 10 Restaurants
  • Entertainment
  • Shopping
    • Prague Easter Markets
    • Prague Christmas Markets >
      • Prague Christmas Market Photo Gallery
  • Newsletter Sign-up Form
  • Testimonials
  • Home
  • Tours
    • What You'll See >
      • Prague's Old Town
      • Prague's Jewish Quarter
      • Prague's Lesser Quarter
      • Prague Castle
      • Day Trips
  • Concierge
  • Guidebooks
    • Autographed Prague Guidebooks
  • Contact
  • Hotels
  • Travel Shop
    • Accessories >
      • Electronics for Your Trip
      • Electronics Accessories
      • Travel Books and Journals
    • Gift Vouchers >
      • Old Town Tour Gift Voucher
      • Jewish Quarter Tour Gift Voucher
      • Prague Castle Tour Gift Voucher
      • Lesser Tour Gift Voucher
      • Buy a Tour Voucher >
        • Jewish Prague
    • Books & DVDs >
      • Books by Czech Authors
    • Maps
  • Prague Blog
  • Dining
    • Czech Cuisine
    • Czech Beer
    • Prague's Top 10 Restaurants
  • Entertainment
  • Shopping
    • Prague Easter Markets
    • Prague Christmas Markets >
      • Prague Christmas Market Photo Gallery
  • Newsletter Sign-up Form
  • Testimonials
  Exclusive Prague Tours

Classic Czech Cuisine

3/8/2015

0 Comments

 
Since the Velvet Revolution of 1989, Prague has been undergoing a transformation in all areas of city life.  And probably in no other area (except for the obvious – politics and governance) has it gone through a bigger change than in the area of food and dining.  When I arrived here in 1992, not only was a good, tasty meal hard to come by, but sometimes any meal was hard to find.  Most restaurants were still state-owned at that time, and more often than not, the staff would turn you away, even with all the tables empty, saying simply, “We’re full.”  So, you’d have to continue your search until you found a place that would even serve you. 

A surer bet in those days was a typical Czech pub offering standard Czech fare.  But the quality of the food was not good, and you could be sure that you would be dining in a room so thick with cigarette smoke that sometimes your eyes would burn to the point of watering.  And you could forget about variety and choice or any fresh vegetables (or, really, any vegetables at all other than boiled or pickled cabbage).  Orange juice simply did not exist in the country, but Czech beer was always abundant, cheap and wonderful.  That is still true for beer – though it’s not as cheap as it once was, it is still cheaper than water, Coke or, yes, the orange juice that I’m glad we have now!

Czech-Food
Classic "svickova". Photo by Maddison Cornelius

These days, far from being associated with bland, heavy food, Prague has become known in some circles in Europe as a kind of “dining destination.”  The city center is packed with more restaurants than you would think could survive, but most of them do thanks to the tremendous numbers of tourists who visit year-round.  And now (perhaps surprisingly, given the fact that many of the establishments cater to a captive tourist crowd) it’s hard not to find a good meal in Prague.

High quality traditional Czech food, which has a not-always-deserved reputation of being bland and heavy, is, believe it or not, becoming hard to find in the center of Prague (to be clear, you can find lots of Czech food in the historic center of Prague, but note that I said “high quality”).  The rush to “modernize” and to explore varied cuisine after 40 years of nothing but Czech food has led many of the more adventurous and sometimes better restaurateurs and young chefs to shun local fare for the more sophisticated and exotic.  While many of the trendier restaurants in town offer a few Czech dishes on their menus, and there are still a few (dwindling by the day) traditional pubs around, most of the Czech restaurants in the center of town are either tourist traps or of low quality or both.  But there are some wonderful exceptions to this rule.  My new Prague Restaurant Guide is filled with some wonderful places to find great Czech (and other) food.

Dumplings are a staple in Czech dishes.  Czech dumplings come in many kinds and varieties.  The basic categories are bread dumplings (“houskové knedlíky”) or potato dumplings (“bramborové knedlíky”).  Then there are fruit dumplings (“ovocné knedlíky”), sometimes served as a dessert or, more commonly, as a main dish (a “sweet lunch,” as the Czechs call it).  If the idea of a “sweet lunch” sounds a bit strange, think of pancakes or French toast served all day at an IHOP or Waffle House in the US (or at finer establishments for brunch).

Within these categories, there are many varieties, such as “špekové knedliky” (bacon dumplings) and “Karlovarské knedliky” (made with fresh parsley).  Bread dumplings, pictured above, are made with wheat flour as the name implies.  The dough is rolled into logs, steamed and then sliced very carefully with string.  Though the name “dumpling” and their appearance conjures images of a heavy food and a stuffed belly, bread dumplings, if prepared properly and well, are actually rather light and fluffy.  When dipped into sauce, however, they do get heavier (more on sauces later).  Potato dumplings are made with flour and potatoes, of course, and are heavier than bread dumplings.

Prague-Restaurants
Classic Bread Dumplings
Fruit dumplings are usually made with a yeast and cream cheese dough and are filled with fruit, usually whatever fruit is in season.  Most common are apricot, plum or strawberry.  They are usually served with sugar and melted butter drizzled over them along with “tvaroh” cheese (a kind of cream cheese like that found in a Danish pastry) crumbled on top.  When the fruit inside is fresh, they are absolutely delicious, and if you do have them as a meal, you’d be surprised at how well they go with a good Czech beer!

Despite all of the above, the most important thing to remember about dumplings is this:  dumplings are intended to be served only as an accompaniment to certain dishes, and only certain kinds of dumplings go with certain (almost always meat) dishes.  Other than fruit dumplings and other “sweet” dumplings, like those stuffed with poppy seeds for a delicious dessert, Czech dumplings are never meant to be eaten on their own.

This point is important because most people (most of us Americans, at least), think of dumplings as something moist that can be eaten – or that can at least be tasted – on their own or added to various dishes at whim.  This is not the case with Czech dumplings.  On their own they have very little taste and are quite dry.  That is why they are always served with something and it is also why only certain kinds of dumplings go with certain dishes.  These dishes are ones that come served in some kind of sauce, and that is why dumplings can be served with them:  think of Czech dumplings as starch “fillers” that need a lot of sauce to give them flavor so that you can get them down.

To find great dumplings and other Czech food when you're in Prague, have a look at my Prague restaurant guide or some of the places by clicking here.
0 Comments

Welcome to my Prague Blog!

3/8/2015

1 Comment

 
Welcome to “The Prague Blog.”  In its pages I’d like to introduce you to one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  Though of course I might be biased, if you’ve ever visited Prague, you’ll know that my opinion is not completely without some (or a lot of) objective basis and merit.  And if you’ve not yet been to Prague, I hope you’ll have the chance to visit one day and  be struck by the city’s beauty, as I was the first time I visited here more than two decades ago. 

Prague’s attraction doesn’t stem solely from its beauty.  It has a mystery that can be felt as you wander through its winding medieval streets.  And the rich history of Prague is another thing that surprises many first-time visitors.  From the Old Town to the Malá Strana to the Jewish Quarter, history seems to leap from every cobblestone you tread upon.
Prague-Old Town Square
Jan Hus statue on Old Town Square in Prague
I’m an American who has lived and worked in Prague for more than two decades.  Prague’s pull on me was so strong that after my first stay for a holiday in the summer of 1990, the first summer after the Berlin Wall fell, I vowed to return – to live.  And I did.  It took some time and some doing, but I moved here in 1992 and never left (except for a few years in the late 1990s when I relocated to Washington, DC, during my tenure at the World Bank).  I have lived, loved and experienced Prague on many levels and in its many aspects.  I’ve walked her streets over and over, never tiring of seeing the same gorgeous Baroque palace multiple times or marveling at the views as I cross the 700-year-old Gothic Charles Bridge for the umpteenth time.  I’ve studied Prague’s history, met her people and heard their stories and their music. 

Follow me here to learn more about this amazing city than most guidebooks would be able to tell you.  I’ll cover everything from the practical to the historical to the fun.  And I’ll fill you in on culture, food and other tidbits about life here so that you’ll have a better feel for this place when you arrive for your visit.  And if you don’t yet have plans for a trip to Prague, perhaps I can entice you.

Enjoy!

Krysti Brice
1 Comment

    Your Donation Helps Me Keep This Blog Going.

    Consider making a donation today!

    Author

    I am an American who has been living in Prague for two decades. After a long career in international finance, I left the business world to pursue other interests. I now work as a writer, mentor and guide to the city.

    Archives

    February 2023
    November 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2022
    February 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    August 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    September 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

    Categories

    All
    2020
    Adolf Loos Architecture
    Albert Einstein
    Amadeus
    Architecture
    Baroque Architecture
    Beer
    Best Prague Restaurants
    Beyond Prague
    Book About World War I
    Books About Prague
    Brewery Tour
    Bucket List
    Budweiser
    Cafe Culture
    Český Krumlov
    Christmas
    Christmas During Coronavirus In Prague
    Christmas Gift Ideas
    Christmas In Prague
    Christmas Shopping
    Christmas Shopping Guide
    Classical Music
    Coffee Culture
    Coronavirus
    Coronavirus In Prague
    Coronavirus In The Czech Repbulic
    Coronavirus In The Czech Republic
    Coronavirus Outbreak
    Coronavirus Outbreak In Prague
    Coronavirus Reading List
    Coronaviurs In Prague
    COVID
    COVID19
    COVID 19
    COVID-19
    COVID#19 Prague
    Czech Architecture
    Czech Beer
    Czech Beer Brands
    Czech Breweries
    Czech Brewery Tour
    Czech Cities
    Czech Cubist Architecture
    Czech Cuisine
    Czech Famous Breweries
    Czech Food
    Czech Jewish Heritage
    Czech Jews
    Czech-pilsner
    Czech Republic
    Czech-rondocubism
    Czech Wedding
    Czech Wine
    Destination Wedding
    Destination Wedding In Prague
    Dining In Prague
    Dvorak
    Einstein
    European Jewish History
    Food
    Foodies
    Franz Kafka
    Gelato
    Great Prague Guidebooks
    Great Synagogue In Pilsen
    Habsburg History
    Hanukkah
    Hanukkah Gift Ideas
    Hapsburg
    Hapsburg Empire
    Hapsburg History
    History Of The Great War
    History Of The Hapsburg Empire
    History Of World War I
    Hluboka
    Hluboka Chateau
    Hluboka Nad Vltavou
    Holiday Gift Ideas
    Holidays
    Holiday Shopping
    Holidays In Prague
    Holocaust
    Hradec Kralove
    Ice Cream
    Jan Santini
    Jewish Heritage
    Jewish Heritage In Pilsen
    Jewish History
    Judaism
    Kafka
    Lednice
    Madeleine Albright
    Microbreweries
    Mikulov
    Milos Forman
    Moravia
    Mozart
    Music
    Old Synagogue In Pilsen
    Orechovka
    Passage To Byzantium
    Pilsen
    Pilsner
    Pilsner Urquell
    Pislner Urquell Brewery Tour
    Prague
    Prague 6
    Prague - A Great Wedding Destination
    Prague Architecture
    Prague Beer
    Prague Cafe Culture
    Prague Caronavirus Update On March 9
    Prague Christmas Gifts
    Prague Coronavirus
    Prague Day Trips
    Prague Facts
    Prague Favorite Things
    Prague Food
    Prague Gardens
    Prague Guide
    Prague Guidebooks
    Prague History
    Prague Holiday Gifts
    Prague Ice Cream
    Prague Jews
    Prague Public Transit
    Prague Public Transport
    Prague Public Transportation
    Prague Pubs
    Prague Restaurant Guide
    Prague Restaurants
    Prague's Jewish History
    Prague's Jewish Quarter
    Prague's Orechovka Neighborhood
    Prague Spring
    Prague's Public Transprotation
    Prague Transit
    Prague Transportation
    Prague Travel Accessories
    Prague Travel Guide
    Prague Travel Reading
    Prague Walks
    Prague Wedding
    Prague Wedding Destination
    Rondocubism
    The Hapsburgs And World War I
    Travel
    Travel Accessories
    Travel During Coronavirus
    Travel In 2022
    Travel Reading
    Travel Tips
    Unique Prague Guidebooks
    Vaccine Passports
    Valtice
    Wedding
    Wedding Destination
    Wedding In Prague
    Wedding Planning
    Weddings
    Wine Tasting
    World War I
    World War II
    WWI
    Zdar Nad Sazavou
    Zelena Hora

    RSS Feed