Czech Recipes

Czech cooking is hearty Central European food built around pork, potatoes, cabbage and bread, with sauces and dumplings that make a meal feel generous. Dumplings, or knedlíky, are the signature side, made from bread or potato and sliced to soak up gravy from beef, pork or duck. Soups open most lunches and range from garlic and potato soup to creamy dill kulajda. Caraway, marjoram, garlic and sweet paprika supply the main flavors, and sour notes from sauerkraut, pickles and vinegar balance the richness of the meat. Beer is part of daily life, and pub food such as fried cheese, pickled sausages and marinated cheese is eaten with it. Fish is rare except for the Christmas carp, but freshwater fish and wild mushrooms appear in village kitchens. Desserts lean on sweet yeast dough, quark, poppy seeds and plums, from koláče and fruit dumplings to the braided vánočka baked for Christmas.

Staple ingredients

• pork
• potatoes
• bread and flour dumplings
• cabbage and sauerkraut
• caraway and marjoram
• quark (tvaroh)
• wild mushrooms
• poppy seeds and plums

• Appetizers 1
• Soups 3
• Salads 1
• Main Dishes 7
• Side Dishes 2
• Breads 1
• Desserts 3

Appetizers

• Nakládaný Hermelín (Czech Marinated Camembert-Style Cheese)CZ20 minEasy

Soups

• Bramboračka (Czech Potato Soup with Mushrooms)CZ1 h 10 minEasy
• Kulajda (Czech Dill and Potato Cream Soup with Poached Egg)CZ55 minEasy
• Česnečka (Czech Garlic Soup with Croutons)CZ45 minEasy

Salads

• Bramborový Salát (Czech Potato Salad)CZ1 h 5 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Smažený Sýr (Czech Fried Cheese with Tartar Sauce)CZ40 minEasy
• Český Guláš (Czech Beef Goulash with Onions)CZ3 h 25 minEasy
• Pečená Kachna se Zelím (Czech Roast Duck with Red Cabbage)CZ3 h 40 minMedium
• Smažený Kapr (Czech Christmas Fried Carp)CZ45 minMedium
• Smažený Řízek (Czech Breaded Pork Cutlet)CZ40 minEasy
• Svíčková na Smetaně (Czech Beef in Root Vegetable Cream Sauce)CZ3 h 15 minMedium
• Vepřo Knedlo Zelo (Czech Roast Pork with Dumplings and Sauerkraut)CZ3 h 15 minEasy

Side Dishes

• Bramboráky (Czech Potato Pancakes)CZ45 minEasy
• Houskové Knedlíky (Czech Bread Dumplings)CZ1 h 5 minMedium

Breads

• Vánočka (Czech Christmas Braided Bread)CZ1 h 40 minMedium

Desserts

• Koláče (Czech Sweet Filled Pastries)CZ1 h 3 minMedium
• Ovocné Knedlíky (Czech Fruit Dumplings)CZ1 h 10 minMedium
• Vanilkové Rohlíčky (Czech Vanilla Crescent Cookies)CZ1 h 15 minMedium