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CZECH REPUBLIC
Where Festivity Is Tradition
The Czech Republic is located in Europe, bordered by
Poland to the north, Germany to the west, Slovakia to the
east, and Austria to the south. The Czechs celebrate
Christmas every year, beginning with a dinner on
December 24. The tables for this dinner can only be set
for an even number of guests, because an odd number
will bring bad luck. All of the lights in the house must be
turned off until the first star comes out, and when it does,
the dinner may commence. The first person to leave the
table when the meal is finished will be the first person to
die that year- this is why everyone must stand up at the
same time.
Easter, or "Velikonoce", meaning "green nights", is a very
cheerful and lighthearted holiday in the Czech Republic.
Red is a very commonly worn color during this time,
because it symbolizes joy, health, happiness, and new life
that comes with spring. Families elaborately decorate
Easter eggs together, and a nationwide Easter egg
contest is held in Prague and other Czech cities on Easter.
Another Easter tradition is the whipping of one's legs with
the pomlázka, or pussywillow twigs. Pussywillow twigs are
braided and painted with bright colors and then are used
by young boys to beat the back of girls legs. This
longstanding tradition is thought to bring health and
youth to young girls.
Another annual Czech custom is the "Burning of the
Witches" (paleni carodejnic), which takes place on the
evening of April 30. Huge bonfires are built on the hills in
the more rural areas of the Czech Republic and everyone
stays out late watching them burn. This stems from an
ancient pagan tradition which was thought to symbolize
and end to winter and a welcoming to the spring.
Music
Music is the most popular form of art in the Czech
Republic and there is even a saying, "Co Cech, to
muzikant", which means "Every Czech is a musician".
Cuisine
Czech cuisine has both influenced and been influenced
by the cuisines of surrounding countries. Many of the fine
cakes and pastries that are popular in Central Europe
originated in the Czech lands.
Czech cuisine is marked by a strong emphasis on meat
dishes. Pork is quite
common, and beef and
chicken are also popular.
Pavel Kalina
Goose, duck, rabbit and
Trade Commissioner,
wild game are served.
Czech Republic
Fish is rare, with the
occasional exception of fresh trout, and carp, which is
served at Christmas.
Knedlíky (boiled sliced dumplings) are one of the
mainstays of Czech cuisine and are quite often served
with meals. They can be wheat or potato based, and are
sometimes made from a combination of wheat flour and
stale bread or rolls. They are typically large and served cut
into slices, in contrast with the smaller dumplings found in
Austrian cuisine. Only potato based dumplings are
usually smaller.
Roast pork with dumplings and cabbage is considered
the most popular Czech dish. There are two variants of
preparing the cabbage, Bohemian and Moravian.
Bohemians prefer the cabbage to be sour, so they
prepare the dish from sauerkraut. In Moravia it is
preferred sweeter and so is prepare from fresh cabbage,
or by adding some sugar, if the fresh variety is not
accessible. But these variants aren't strict, and either may
be available in each region.
Marinated beef sirloin or simply svíèková. Roast beef,
usually larded, with a thick sauce made of carrot, parsley
and cream, served with dumplings. Often served with a
cream topping, a teaspoon of cranberry compote and
slice of lemon.
Snacks
Since beer culture is a big part of Czech life, many
important Czech dishes and cheeses are usually eaten as
pub fare.
Bramboráky (regionally called cmunda or vošouch in
Pilsen and "strik" or "striky" in Czech Silesia) are fried
pancakes made of rough-grated or fine-grated raw
potatoes (brambory in Czech), flour, milk and sometimes
sliced sausages (but this is not common, because
bramboráky are usually inteded to be a vegetarian meal).
They are spiced with marjoram, salt, pepper, garlic.
Usually sized to fit the cooking dish. Smaller variant can
be made smaller and eaten as side dish. There is a similar
OPEN TRADE 21
Oct-Dec 2007