Czech Republic

Country - Czech Republic

Cuisine Description - The Czech history, tradition and food culture all started about 1200 years ago, on the Czech lands, starting with the early Slavic settlement around 6th century. The whole cooking method and tradition has its root in the peasant’s culinary rituals inherited and used almost the same for centuries. Preparing meals over open fire is a great technique kept for centuries, giving special flavor to food ingredients. Agriculture is still today one of the most important resources of food, together with raising and growing cattle herds. It is known that Czech Republic is a country of fat food and rich consistent dishes, most of them animal based, usually consisting of Pork, cabbage and doughy dumplings smothered in gravy. However, lighter and healthier foods like salads and more vegetables instead of meats have increased in importance of their every day diet. Seafood, though rarely served or prepared, is imported and used in fancy restaurants. Fresh water fish is available, and even the national Christmas dish is made of water carp.
Neighbor countries like Germany, Hungarian and Austria have influenced the Czech cuisine and put a mark on the national dishes and culinary methods. Still, the Czech style of preparing dishes is apart from their neighbors’, and has a distinctive Czech mark.
Czech recipes are extremely popular, and even if they are influenced by other cuisines, are still appreciated as individualized and with a particular taste. Traditional dishes are usually prepared in same ways, no matter the country region. The Potato soup, the traditional roast Pork with dumplings and sauerkraut, and the fruit filled strudels are normally made with very few regional differences. The cabbage for instance is one particular dish that is preferred to be sour in the Bohemian regions, but sweet in the Moravian parts of the country. There are 14 regions all over the Czech Republic, and the techniques used in the preparation methods keeps them unified together, all of them using salt, ground black or red pepper, dill, caraway, marjory or thyme as the main condiments. Still, in some Moravian parts of the Czech Republic, you will find a typical dish mostly made only here, the plum dumplings. Also you’ll find mushroom dishes such as kulajda (cream of mushroom soup), kyselo (mushroom sour cream sauce). In the country parts including the Brno city and surroundings, the Potato pancake and fruit dumplings are some of the best deserts found. In the Prague region the diversity of dishes includes potatoes, cabbage soup, fruit dumplings, garlic soup, Potato pancakes and cottage cheese.
Ostrava region is well known for the best roast Pork, with dumplings and cabbage, and the Pltzen area has people that prepare the most delicious Beef sirloin in cream sauce, Pork schnitzel and goulash. Copyright Recipes Wiki