What to eat for a Czech breakfast?

What to eat for a Czech breakfast?

You’ve just awoken from a not-so-restful sleep at your hostel in Prague. Your flight got in late, your bed-neighbor snored all night, and you are itching to get out and explore the city. But first – breakfast.

It’s an old phrase – breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Despite being retold time and time again by our mothers and grandmothers, I think we can all agree that they’re right. Per usual. This advice holds true in the Czech Republic – only 14% of the population regularly skips breakfast, showing the importance of this day-starter.

You won’t find the American stacks of pancakes and French toast here though. The traditional Czech breakfast will look a little different on your plate than you might be used to, but it sets up your day for an energized and upbeat start.

Coffee, first.

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If you’ve had a late one the night before, you may be slowly wilting. We know how you feel. Crawling out of bed, you only have one thing on your mind – coffee. The nectar of life some may say. Fortunately for you, most Czech breakfasts start with tea or coffee.

Multiple studies have shown that Czechs start their day with hot tea, flavored with lemon or honey, or a strong cup of brew. The most popular type of coffee isn’t your extra-large iced coffee at Dunkin, but rather turecká káva – Turkish coffee.

This kind of coffee is made by pouring boiling water over coffee beans, traditionally made in a small coffee pot called an ibrik. For health-conscious folks who want to keep their arteries clear, cream or milk is never added to the coffee, and sugar is optional, with many Czechs taking their Turkish coffee black.

In 90% of homes in the Czech Republic, this is the way coffee is made, making it the most popular choice in the country. This super-strong beverage will put instant coffee to shame, and kickstart your day full of touring and exploring.

Breads & Spreads

Now moving on to the food portion of the breakfast. A typical breakfast will feature bread as the main staple. Usually, you’ll have a slice of bread, typically rye, or a roll with a spread.

The usual spreads would be butter, honey, or conserve. Sometimes the bread is topped with a slice of cheese or meat as a popular option. Some more traditional families and older generations might enjoy soup or boiled potatoes with their slice of bread.

Slices of bread with spreads, meats, or cheeses are the most typical every-day meal you’ll find in Czech households. Despite being the most common, there is also more variety for what you can choose if you opt to go out to breakfast at one of the many cafés or restaurants.

Pastries for special occasions

by DuncanHarris – Wikimedia Commons

If you’re going out for breakfast, you’ll normally find that baked pastries and buns are a popular option to start the day. You might only find these offerings for special occasions and weekends while you’re dining at someone’s home, and more frequent among cafés and restaurants during weekdays.

The most common pastries offered are babovka, buchty, bublanina, and kolache.

Babovka has been a common pastry since the 17th century, and resembles a marbled cake that is comparable to Italian panettone. This sweet pastry is made of a layer of vanilla cake, a layer of chocolate cake, and then baked in a special shape, and topped with light icing. Slightly heavy for an everyday breakfast, this is usually offered during holidays and at various bakeshops around the country.

Buchty means “small roll” and consists of leavened balls of dough and form a single bun after baking, and are filled with powidl – a variety of fruits, usually being plums, apples, or peaches.

Bublanina is a traditional cake that varies with the seasonal fruits and flavors that are available. With a texture like coffee cake, this pastry option is one of the most common options to be paired with coffee for breakfast.

Lastly, kolace is a type of pastry that contains fruit, puffy dough, and is a semi-sweet pie-like item that is traditionally served with only non-meat fillings. Despite being typically served for special occasions, breakfasts at cafés, or fancier events, these pastries hold a spot in the Czech lifestyle.

Chlebíčky

Another treat that can be eaten for either breakfast or lunch is the chlebíčky – an open-faced sandwich that makes for a quick and tasty option. This sandwich is usually served during parties or can be found at cafés and bakeshops. These small sandwiches have numerous garnishes and ingredients piled on top of a small slice of bread. You can have a few for breakfast or lunch, since they’re miniature-sized and provide some variety to the sometimes-mundane bread and butter combination.

Variety is the spice of life

Even though the bread and pastries make up a majority of the Czech breakfasts (hello carbohydrates), a small percentage of the population will have eggs, yogurt, or some type of oatmeal.

Some breakfast spreads you might see at restaurants or make for yourself will consist of the traditional bread and butter, cheese slices, an egg, a variety of spreads, and cold slices of meat.

This gives you the option to combine any of the ingredients the way you want to, creating an open-faced sandwich of your own, cheese-on-bread combo, or eating each ingredient individually.

The combination of protein, fats, and carbs creates a balanced breakfast that is astronomically healthier than the sugar-laden cereals so many American children have day in and day out. Despite being bigger than some might be used to, or with heavier ingredients than you might think, the balance of food creates a great way to start your day and keep you full until lunch.

A filling and tasty way to start your day

The traditional Czech breakfast is a simple, but tasty, meal that is found in almost all Czech households. Despite some variety when going out to eat at cafés, if you were to live a traditional Czech lifestyle, you’d find that coffee, bread, and spreads is the usual serving to start your day.

Many restaurants and brunch spots in this country have embraced other cultures and food offerings, with tourists and locals alike being able to find American pancakes, English breakfasts, and a wide variety of cuisine. While grabbing some breakfast on the weekends, you’ll find many locals and tourists enjoying a full-on spread, some sweet pastries, or open-faced sandwiches.

The simplicity of the Czech breakfast doesn’t sacrifice on taste – the ingredients are pure, typically locally-sourced, and full of flavor. You can rest assured that your time in this beautiful country won’t be on an empty stomach.