Traditional Czech Dishes You Should Try

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If you want to try Czech cuisine, you'll need to be ready for lots of hearty soups, cakes, pies, dumplings, and more. Their food has taken a lot of inspiration from other countries, and so you'll get a range of different tastes and ideas that you won't have seen together before. Here are some of the best traditional Czech dishes that you should try.

1. Moravsky Vrabec

This meal, which literally translates as Moravian Sparrow, is a common main dish that you'll see in almost any restaurant you go to in the Czech Republic. While the name makes it sound like it contains sparrow, it actually contains pork, sauerkraut, and dumplings. It gets its name from the small pieces of pork that are used, as they can resemble birds.

It's a simple dish but it's filling and just what you want on a cold winter's day. It's easy to see why it's so popular here.

2. Rajska Omacka

This dish translates as sweet tomato sauce, and it's all about the dumplings. It's something that you'd often see served up in schools, and many Czech people consider it to be a nostalgic favorite.

The sauce isn't anything like the sauces you'd expect in other countries, as it's both sweet and sour, and packed full of spices. These can be bay leaves, allspice, black pepper, or even cinnamon.

The sauce is poured over slices of boiled beef or bell peppers, and is served with the ever-popular dumplings.

3. Smazeny Rizek

This dish is a schnitzel with potato salad, and as you may have guessed, the dish made its way over from Germany to Czech kitchens. Now, no Sunday dinner is considered complete without it.

Thin slices of chicken or pork are coated with salt pepper and garlic, and given another coating of flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs. This is paired with their version of a potato salad, which involves cutting potatoes with the skin on and mixing them with sweet and sour vegetables. Once that's done, full-fat mayo is poured over it. The more mayo, the better.

4. Smazeny Syr

This is one of the simplest dishes on this list, as it's fried cheese. Yes, really, that's all there is to it. To make it, you take a slice of cheese, fry it, and you're good to go. It's usually put into a fryer with some French fries, making it the perfect snack.

It's usually served with either tartare sauce or ketchup, and on some food stalls, it'll all be placed into a bun for you so you can eat it on the go.

At enjoying a goose dish in the Czech Republic (Pecena Kachna se Zelim)

5. Pecena Kachna se Zelim

If you want something that's considered to be a special treat, you'll want to try roast duck with sauerkraut and dumplings. This is often ordered in restaurants for a special event or made for festive occasions.

What makes this dish special is the way the duck is slow-roasted to perfection, and the way the sauerkraut adds just the right amount of sweet and saltiness to the mix. The duck itself will have plenty of garlic, onion, and spices added to it too.

At Christmas and other special events, some Czech people will swap out the duck for goose for a real decadent treat.

6. Sekana

This meatloaf is a traditional favorite in many Czech households, and if you want to try their take on the classic meatloaf it's quite easy to do so. It typically contains minced pork or beef, as well as eggs, breadcrumbs, and spices like marjoram and caraway.

Shape this into loaves and add stripes of pork fat or smoked bacon, or even an egg in the middle. Cook in the oven, and serve with mashed potatoes for a real Czech family meal.

7. Cesnecka

The Czechs love a garlic soup, and claim it's the best cure for any cold or hangover. They have a great relationship with garlic in any form, as you'll see in these dishes. If you're coming in from the cold or need reviving though, this soup will do the trick.

These are some of the best traditional Czech recipes that you should try for yourself. There are so many delicious meals that are perfect for colder weather, and spending time with your family.

Michael DeHoyos is a travel writer with Coursework writing services. He writes about all the places he's visited on his travels, as well as the food he enjoyed there.

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