14-Day Czechia
Itinerary

Svíčková na Smetaně

Czech cuisine's greatest achievement — beef sirloin slow-braised in a sauce of root vegetables, cream and lemon until it becomes fork-tender; strained into a velvety, pale-orange cream sauce and served with bread dumplings (knedlíky), a cranberry compote and a wedge of lemon; the sweet-acid-cream balance is a masterpiece.

Vepřo-Knedlo-Zelo

The Czech trinity — roast pork (vepřo) with a caramelised crackling crust, bread dumplings (knedlo) to soak the jus, and braised sauerkraut (zelo) for acidity; the dish requires an entire afternoon and a half-litre of dark Czech beer to fully appreciate; the national Sunday lunch.

Czech Svíčková Guláš

Prague's pub food cornerstone — a rich, paprika-dark beef goulash slow-cooked with onion, garlic and caraway until the sauce coats a spoon; served in a bread bowl (bread loaf with the top cut off and innards scooped out) or with knedlíky; consumed with a Pilsner Urquell; invented in Bohemia, not Hungary.

Trdelník

Czech street food at its most theatrical — a sweet yeast dough wound around a cylindrical spit, rolled in sugar and walnut, and slowly rotated over an open flame until the sugar caramelises into a crisp, fragrant crust; the spiral comes away from the spit as a hollow tube; Prague's Old Town Square is lined with the wood-fired rotisseries.

Smažený Sýr

Czech fast food at its most beloved — a thick slice of Edam cheese coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried until the exterior is golden and the cheese inside is completely molten; served with tartar sauce and bread; found on every pub menu and street stand; comfort food of a very specific and satisfying kind.