1. Czech Dishes & Names: This should help you to understand the menus more and also give you some ideas about your focus.

2. Czech ‘Buchty’ – [bookhteeh] A typical yeast dough sweet cakes – filled with sweet jam/marmelade. Challenge: how many different fillings will you sample during your trip? Home made and shop bought are judged/counted separately My favourite: cherries & cottage cheese [a bit like baked cheesecake inside!!!]

3. Czech doughnuts freshly baked are the best thing in the world with a cup of coffee for breakfast or afternoon: Kobliha – [koh-blee-hah] My favourite: apricot jam filling We do not do custard and we do not do ring doughnut; traditional ones are always with marmelade

4. The most typical Czech national dish: Knedlo-vepro-zelo [Knadloh-veproh-zaloh] Dumpling-pork-cabbage Saurkraut to you – boiled cabbage. Every ‘hospoda’ will sell this: hearty lunch to fill you up.

5. Svickova – [sweech-kovah] Second traditional national dish: Stewed beef in creamy sauce with dumplings; often served with cranberry sauce Dumplings: there are always two types: Bramborove knedliky – potato dumplings Houskove knedliky – roll dumplings [using bread/rolls up – a more economical to make] Every family has their own recipe and ingredients that will make the sauce just that good. You will never have the same one twice.

6. Řizek – [rzhee-zek] Shnitzel Another traditional fare: pork or chicken slice of meat wrapped in flour/egg/breadcrumbs Pork shnitzel – veprovy rizek Chicken shnitzel – kureci rizek

7. Vegetarian option: Fried cheese – similar to a shnitzel: Cheese wrapped in flour/egg/breadcrumbs Cheese used: Hermelin – Czech brie version Gouda – mild Dutch cheese Easy to eat and often with chips Pizza is available everywhere and very reasonable. Pizza place is called: pizzeria

8. I dare you to eat: Cesnecka [ches-nech-kah ] Garlic Soup – cheap fare and really good to pick you up: simple stock with croutons, sometimes potatoes or eggs, lots of garlic and marjoram to give you heat. Yes, the Czech eat a lot of garlic and onion any time of the day! It is good for you!

9. Polevka – [poleev-kah] Even though is a hot day, typically at lunch time people would have a two course meal, starting with a soup. Goulash soup – Gulasova polevka, otherwise ‘gulasovka’ is typical – [goo-lah-shovkah] Lots of people have their own recipe. You will never have the same one. This one would be with beef.

10. As I said: ovocne knedliky [o-voh-tsneh Kned-leekih] Fruit dumplings For lunch or dinner. If they are from raised dough – kynute [kih- nooh-the] then they are the big ones. Melted butter on top. Typical filling: plum, Then strawberry, Then blueberries or apricot – depending what fruit is in season. Again: cottage cheese on top or cream – terribly bad but terribly delicious! Home-made are the best of course!