The most famous Czech dish of our time is roast pork with fine dumplings (in Czech knedlík) and cabbage. This innovation of serving meat with vegetables and flour garnish on the same plate soon caught on, and the dish became traditional in Czech cuisine.

Dumplings have a special and long history. In the Middle Ages, the word «dumpling» meant a small ball or lump of minced meat, soaked white bread and other ingredients.

Dumplings were not boiled, but fried in oil. It was not until the 17th century that pies were made from kneaded and puffed dough made from flour, yeast, eggs and salt. The kneaded dough was left to rise, then divided into small loaves, which were placed in boiling water and boiled until they were soft.

They were served as a separate dish, poured with melted butter or dipped in butter. It was not until the 19th century that all these products were called «dumplings». Eggs and slices of white bread were added to the dumplings, served as a separate dish and sprinkled with butter in the same way.

At this time, experimentation began and many different variations, both savoury and sweet, appeared.

Gradually, curd dumplings, cereal dumplings, dumplings with sour cream or pieces of lard appeared, cooked in beef broth and served on a plate with smoked meat, sprinkled with butter.

Another traditional dish is sirloin in cream sauce — svíčková (braised beef). The original recipe for this dish is known and was recorded in a cookery book by Jiří Evermod Košetický at the end of the 17th century. It says: «Buy a fillet of beef or another good piece of meat, boil beer vinegar and pour it over the meat.

Then drain the vinegar and pour other warm vinegar over the meat. Put the meat in a pot and boil it, pour cream over it and sprinkle breadcrumbs over it, then boil it again and serve it».

This ancient recipe is the basis of today’s dish: beef is marinated in vinegar and the sauce is thickened by the breadcrumbs.

The modern preparation of sirloin is much more complicated. The meat is baked rather than braised, so it is stuffed with lard before cooking.

Watered with boiling vinegar and spices, the meat is left for three or four days, turning every day. When the meat is cooked, it is poured with cream. 

A common and simple dish is the Czech potato pancake (in Czech bramborák), a fried flatbread made from grated potatoes.

Potato pancake is one of the youngest dishes, as potatoes were not introduced to Bohemia until the end of the 18th century.

Since then, Potato pancake has become one of the most popular side dishes in Bohemia. Czech potato pancake is made from raw potatoes.

Grated potatoes are mixed with flour, eggs, milk, salt and spices (usually marjoram, pepper, onion and garlic). Some potato pancakes were baked, others fried in a pan without oil, but nowadays they are fried with oil.

Potato pancakes should be eaten hot, as cold ones dry out quickly. Raw, grated potatoes can be used to make another traditional side dish — potato dumplings. They used to be served separately: pickled, with sauerkraut or mushroom sauce, or sweet, with a sauce of dried plums.

Nowadays, potato dumplings are served as a side dish with roast pork. 

The most recent Czech snacks are sandwiches (in Czech chlebíčky). This is a slice of white bread, lightly buttered, with ham, smoked meat, eggs or cheese. «Chlebíček» was popular and was invented in the 1920s in Jan Paukert’s grocery store, now located on Národní třída (National Avenue).

What is the difference between Czech «chlebíček» and a filled baguette?

«Chlebíček» has a completely different taste, unlike baguette, it is soft and not at all crispy, it perfectly complements the taste of the filling. Beautifully decorated «chlebíček» are not covered with a second layer of bread, so they are a feast for the eyes and then for the stomach.