Top 10 Weird Things Czech People Eat

Breakfast spread at CafeLouvre in Prague, image sourced from their official Instagram

So much for Pop-Tarts, cheese curd, and peanut butter. What are the weird foods the Czech Republic continues to serve to this day?

Every country has its own retrospective ‘weird’ foods. Americans have peanut butter, hot dogs, and sugar-laden cereals that we find appropriate to give our kids every morning.

Japan goes the other way and has healthy food for nearly every meal, eating unprocessed foods, and rice/noodles for breakfast. The English have scrapple. Enough said.

Part of the fun about exploring new countries is absorbing all of the cultures in the new places – you’ll find out about the history, people, traditions, and food. In the Czech Republic, food and drink are a huge part of their life, with much of the country keeping traditional meals, ways of cooking, and restaurants.

Even in Prague, a city that is turning more modern and increasingly busy with tourists, has managed to keep numerous historical buildings, shops, and traditional restaurants. Some tourists may find some of the food in these restaurants – well, weird for lack of a better word.

The more that you get to know about the food culture in Prague, you might find yourself more often than not noticing how strange some of the snacks and meals are that Czechs typically eat.

We have rounded up the Top 10 weird things Czech people eat – so you can decide if you want to branch out and try them or not. Who knows, you could find a scrumptious snack to bring back to the States.

1) Tripe Soup

Tripe soup – By E4024 [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

First up, we have a dish that could be used as an appetizer or full entree for dinner – tripe soup. Sounds harmless enough, right? Guess again. This soup is made with cow stomach, seasoned with paprika, onions, and garlic, with it reminiscing the traditional goulash that is so famous in the country.

Despite being a bit weird to some visitors, tripe soup is actually somewhat popular in various cuisines and in different parts of the world. You’ll find this soup in the Balkans as a hangover cure, in Bulgaria, in Greece, in Romania, in Turkey, and Iran, where the people eat either calf, cow, or lamb tripe.

The popularity doesn’t cease in the Middle East, with various countries in Central and Western Europe enjoying this soup, especially in Germany where they have different versions using a mixture of spices. If you thought this was only in Europe, you’re sadly mistaken, with this dish being global, with Latin American countries and Asian countries producing this soup as well. Even though tripe soup may not be your cup of tea, the worldwide prevalence of this dish must mean that it can’t be that weird…right?

2) Pig’s knee

Secondly, we continue on the animal theme. Pig’s knee is a meal you can find in many traditional Czech restaurants even to this day. Personally, I’m surprised that with all of the parts of the pig, the Czechs decided the knee was the tastiest.

Once it’s delivered to your table, you have to strip the meat off the bone, and work your way through the fat and crispy outer skin. Typically served with brown bread, horseradish, and mustard, you can eat the bread for some different texture, and use the sauces to eat with the crispy meat.

If you’re a meat-eater, you’ll honestly probably like this dish. You have the chance to behave and look like a real caveman, while eating a crispy and fatty piece of meat. Even though this dish is weird to be served in restaurants and lauded as the best part of the pig, we guarantee most meat-eaters visiting the country will enjoy this dish during their trip.

3) Rabbit

Tajine with rabbit meat – By Magda Baidan [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

Another free-roaming animal cut down in its prime, rabbit is a meal that frequents the menus and households of traditional Czech establishments. You might have better luck finding this on the menu in the countryside, where the rabbits are more abundant or bred.

Hare with wild game is served, and other meat offerings, like lamb, are not as common. Restaurants will sometimes serve the rabbit after being slow-roasted, seasoned with various spices, and basted, cooking until tender.

Another serving option is to make rabbit stew, creating a thick and savory dinner. No matter how you are served this meal, it will always be weird in the eyes of many people – you can blame Peter Cottontail for that.

4) Tatarák

Tatarák – By Dezidor [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)]

Up next, who here has heard of salmonella poisoning? Everyone? Good. We have been taught from a young age to be careful what you touch while cooking with raw meat, as to not poison any other food. You must wash your hands immediately after handling raw meat, scrub the cutting board you were using, and basically throw out anything the meat comes in contact with.

If some juice accidentally gets on your beloved McDonald’s fries – say your last goodbyes. Despite these numerous warnings, the Czechs like to play with fire. Or in this case, no cooking method. Tatarák is food served in the country, consisting of raw minced beef.

The chef shapes the meat into a volcano-shape, organizes spices around the rim of the volcano, and places deep-fried bread slices on another plate. Next, even after careful placement, the chef will mash everything together, spread garlic over a piece of bread, and then place a thick layer of meat on the bread. That’s it. That’s the dish. We recommend going somewhere that you really trust the chef for this dish, or not ordering it at all, since it can go wrong pretty quickly.

5) Fried cheese

Czech fried cheese – By By Qwerty Binary – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30835709

Venturing away from the meatless wonders, we have a food that almost appears as if it is out of a country fair – fried cheese. A few-centimeter-thick slab of cheese is dipped in egg yolk, coated in bread crumbs, and fried. This food is tasty and feels like you’re living out a childhood fantasy. But too much of a good thing can also turn very bad – quickly.

Too much of this fried delicacy can definitely disrupt your stomach and might be why it isn’t served in many countries’ restaurants. Although not extremely weird, the prevalence of this snack/meal is what is strange.

6) Pig lard

Maypole Dairy container for lard – By Stephencdickson [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

Up next on our list, everyone has heard of lard I’m sure. Lard is basically canned pig fat that was actually widely used before we became ‘healthier’ and decided it was bad for us. Instead, substances like margarine, extreme amounts of canola oil, and MSG made the cut. Interesting. The Czechs have kept lard a part of their dietary plan, and you’ll find it in stores and in restaurants.

Many will enjoy a nice spread of lard on some warm bread, and most of the lard is fresh and homemade, so at least you know you’re getting a local product. Even though it is pretty weird to be eating pig fat, bacon isn’t considered a weird food, and that’s basically all fat – just crispy. So pig lard? Not the strangest item out there.

7) Chicken Liver

Shima aji yuzu – tapioca uni – bolo bao chicken liver – By T.Tseng [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

Back to the strange meat offerings, we have jatra – chicken liver. This is a popular meal that is usually found in soup, seasoned with roasted onions and various garnishes. It is also served in a creamy sauce, simply cooked, with a side of potatoes.

The chewy, stringy, and thick taste is definitely one for specific taste buds. This won’t have the same consistency as some other meats like steak or beef, so we caution you before trying. The texture might be something you never forget.

8) Blood soup

Mykyrokka – By Juha Kämäräinen [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]

Another strange soup-like dish on our list, we have blood soup. You read that right. No, we’re not vampires. This soup consists of exactly what it says – pig’s blood. The only saving grace I can find with this dish is that the restaurant didn’t want any part of the pig to go to waste – and I think if you’re going to kill an animal for food, then you shouldn’t waste any part of it. So, a little bit of respect in that sense.

Also, the blood is cooked, so you’re not just sipping on cold, uncooked blood. It definitely has a unique taste, and I personally would not recommend this dish – to anyone. But for those who want to try a unique dish and a traditional offering in Czech culture, go for it. More power to you.

9) Kluski z Makiem

Sulance z makiem – By Krzysiu [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)]

Okay, we’ll go back to another meatless dish. This one won’t be any safer, though. Another weird food in Czech cuisine is pasta with poppy seeds and sugar. I really want to know who thought this flavor combination would be a good idea. I’m no chef, but this just sounds like such a bad idea. Pasta is supposed to be creamy, cheesy, and savory, not sweet. If you’ve always wanted to try a concoction like the breakfast made in Elf, with M&M’s, syrup, and chocolate sauce, this might be the closest you’ll ever get.

10) Olomouc cheese

Smazeny syr design – By Pastorius [CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]

Last on our list, we have a controversial cheese that is reminiscent of bleu cheese across the world. Olomouc cheese has a distinctive, and strong, smell. It can be served just plain, with some jam dollops on top. The weird thing about this serving is just serving cheese virtually plain on a plate, the extremely pungent smell, and the distinctive bright yellow color.

There are various thoughts about the cheese, with some saying that if you eat it spread on a piece of bread it is pretty good, and some saying the smell itself is just too much to try, this weird food is something that should be tried – at least once.

Exploring the Czech Republic isn’t just admiring the astonishing architecture and throwing back some cheap pints – the food culture here has held on for centuries, and holds a key part of the country’s culture.

The Czech Republic is home to many traditions, cultural characteristics, and food choices that make it unique – and extremely fun and eye-opening to visit. The restaurants that keep traditional foods are educating to go and visit, and the number of traditional dishes that are still prepared and served throughout various establishments and homes across the country is a testament to the love people have for their culture.

Despite all of these foods being pretty weird in our standards, it is important to try other country’s traditions and really immerse yourself in their culture. We don’t blame you if you don’t try the pig’s blood though.

 

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