5 Czech Foods You Must Try in Prague
Czech food isn’t exactly the type of food you may dream about and crave like you would Italian food. If you’re visiting Prague, you probably aren’t coming just for the food.
Now that isn’t to say that Czech food is not good, it’s just a less talked about type of food. Prague is filled with many non-Czech restaurants ranging from Italian to Asian to Mexican and more. We suggest you immerse yourself in the culture and try the Czech food! It’s cheap, hardy, and yummy!
But wait… what even is Czech food??
Czech food is similar to those in its surrounding countries (Germany, Austria, Hungary). If you’re a big fan of carbs and protein, this is your place. Most of the Czech dishes contain some sort of meat and potatoes. Some of the most popular Czech dishes include Goulash (Guláš), Svíčková, Garlic Soup, Fried cheese, and of course the beer (Yes, we are counting beer as a meal because Czech beer is that good!)
1. Guláš
Goulash is the ultimate Czech classic. It’s a beef or deer stew with dumplings on the side. These “dumplings” are not to be confused with Asian dumplings or potato dumplings, these dumplings are really just slices of boiled bread.
The first thing that may come to your mind when you think of boiled bread is someone pulling a slice of bread out of boiled water and it’s all soggy and sopping wet. That would be gross. Boiled bread is pretty much just soft slices of bread, therefore Czech dumplings are basically just slices of bread.
Goulash is savory and the sauce on the meat is comparable to some gravies. We recommend Goulash to first timers in the Czech Republic. It’s the perfect introduction to Czech food.
2. Svíčková
Svickova is similar to Goulash. The difference is the sauce. Svíčková is again beef or deer but instead of a gravy-like sauce svíčková has an orange creamy sauce poured over the meat. Svíčková comes with a bit of cranberry sauce as well to give a little bit of sweetness to balance out the savory flavors.
After meeting many locals, we found that this dish is a favorite among many locals. Give it a go!
3. Garlic Soup
As delicious as garlic soup is, we do not recommend ordering this dish on a date, unless you are trying to scare them away. This soup is simple but packed with flavor. Don’t be discouraged, the garlic flavor is not overpowering and is worth a try.
Garlic soup is coined to be a great hangover cure. We recommend this dish for the day after a night on the town.
4. Fried Cheese (Smazeny Syr)
Fried cheese is basically a giant version of fried mozzarella sticks. As shown in the picture, fried cheese is literally just a block of cheese that is fried.
Fried cheese comes with a side of fries and is delicious. This is the most popular vegetarian option at Czech restaurants.
5. The beer
The Czech Republic is home to the original Pilsner (Pilsner Urquell) brewed in Plzen, Czech Republic. No IPA’s here. Lagers and pilsners are the staple beer type in the Czech.
The beer in the Czech Republic is insanely cheap. Half a liter is usually only $1.50! A beer in the Czech Republic is cheaper than a glass of water. You heard me right, it is more expensive to order a glass of water at a restaurant than a beer. It’s hard to find an excuse not to order one!
We hope we could help you clarify what Czech food is and what to order! Did you end up trying a dish you really liked or really didn’t like? Got any other Czech dish recommendations? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Do you know someone traveling to the Czech Republic soon? Share this article with them!
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