Prague
Prague
+ Prague
Excursions
+ Excursions
Walk/Drive
Food&Drink
In The Know
Did You Know?
Wines and Spirits
Most Czech wine is produced in the warmer, more sheltered parts of southern Moravia and is consumed locally, rather than exported. The best of the red wines is Frankovka or Vavřinecké - Tramín is a reliable white variety. The Mělník region, just north of Prague, produces a small amount of wine of variable quality (sometimes none at all, if the weather is bad). A dry white wine known as Rulandské bílé is probably the best, and can often be found on menus. There are three types of liqueur worth sampling: Borovicka, a fiery, juniper-flavoured spirit with the impact of an Italian grappa, which should be treated with the same respect; Slivovice, a plum brandy and, best of all, the wonderfully aromatic Becherovka, a herb-based drink concocted in the spa town of Karlovy Vary.
You can be sure of one thing when you eat out in Prague - or anywhere else in the Czech Republic, for that matter: you will not go hungry. All the national dishes are incredibly rich and filling, and portions are gargantuan.
Meat and Veg
Czech cuisine is heavily meat-based. Pork, beef and chicken are all standard fare - but the pig is king. Popular dishes include pork with dumplings and sauerkraut (pickled cabbage), roast duck with bacon dumplings, and roast beef with a sour cream sauce. Wiener schnitzel, known to the Czechs as smažený řízek, is another favourite. In expensive restaurants, you're likely to encounter game - venison, pheasant, hare or even wild boar. Most meat is boiled or roasted and served swimming in gravy and accompanied by potatoes or dumplings (knedlíky).Fresh vegetables, other than the ubiquitous sauerkraut, are appearing on menus with increasing frequency and you'll usually be able to order a side salad of tomato and onions, cucumber or just plain lettuce. Some restaurants even serve noodles or pasta as an accompaniment to standard Czech items. But vegetarians should note that many apparently meatless dishes are cooked in animal fat. The best advice is to declare yourself at the outset: Jsem vegetarian (-ka for the feminine form). Of the fish dishes, boiled carp served in melted butter, roasted pike, fillet of trout cooked in a green pepper sauce and smoked salmon are all delicious. Try to leave some room for dessert, but don't count the calories. Pancakes may be filled with ice cream, jam or stewed fruit. Apple strudel and plum dumplings are reliable stand-bys.
Beer
Czech beer is justifiably famous and is fully appreciated by the Czechs themselves - the Republic boasts the highest per capita consumption in the world: 153.6 litres annually. Plzeň produces the clear golden nectar known as Pilsner Urquell in Germany and locally as Plzeňský Prazdroj. Gambrinus is another common brand. The other main centre of beer production is the southern Bohemian town of České Budějovice, Budweis in German. Don't be misled by the name - the American beer, Budweiser, and the Czech brew, Budvar, have nothing in common. All these brews are delicious, but local Prague beers like Staropramen and Braník are just as good. If you fancy trying a dark (tmave) beer, head for the famous pub known as U Fleků, which produces its own brand. The generic term for beer is pivo.| COUNTRY |
| Czech Republic |
| REGION |
| CITIES |
| Prague
|
| Viewing |
| Top Ten |
| What To See |
| Where To ... |
| Practical Matters |
| MAPS |
| World |
| Europe |
| TRAVEL BOOK |
| Book Info |
| Order Online |
 |