Although Czech cuisine is not the best choice for vegetarians, everybody will most likely find at least a couple of meals "to die for".  Czech dishes are as delicious as they are hearty , with big portions of meat and something starchy on the side such as dumplings or potatoes. . Czech cooking and eating habits have been shifting in the general direction of a healthier lifestyle, but traditional Czech recipes are still extremely popular - and those tend to be high in calories, fat and sugar. Sauces and condiments are popular.

Starters, are usually soups, vegetable, chicken and beef broth with noodles.

Main courses, i f you want to sample Czech cuisine, start with "Vepro-zelo-knedlo" your basic pork plus dumplings.

Side dishes, usually ordered separately, are rice, fries, potato croquettes or potato pancakes, and the stalwart sliced dumplings (sponges for all that sauce on your plate).

Little Guide to Czech Meal

Bramborák Available from fast-food stands throughout the city as well as in restaurants, this large (six- to eight-inch) potato pancake is flavored with marjoram and deep-fried.

Bezmasá jídla. This section of the menu lists dishes without meat.

Cesnecka This Czech standby, garlic soup, is a thin -- usually meatless -- garlic-laced broth containing small pieces of potato, served with fried bread cubes.

Gulás Like its Hungarian counterpart, Czech goulash is cubes of beef or pork, stewed and served in thin, juicy gravy. It's usually served with houskové knedliky (bread dumplings).

Klobása This smoked sausage, a mainstay of the obcerstveni (fast-food stand) is also served in restaurants on its own or as an addition to certain types of gulás and soups.

Knedlik is the most common side dish. It is a dumpling, made of either wheat or potato flour that is boiled as a roll of dough, then cut into slices and served with gravy.

Livanecky These griddle-cakes are made with a yeast-based batter and are usually served with blueberry sauce and whipped cream. They involve more work to make and thus are a little less common than palacinky but seem to be making a comeback on menus.

Ovocné knedlíky These fruit dumplings are slightly bigger than golf balls and consist of a yeast-risen or soft-cheese dough filled with apricot, plum, strawberry, or in some cases blueberry. They are sometimes listed as desserts, but Czechs often eat them as a main meatless meal.

Palacinky Usually served with jam or ice cream inside and whipped cream on top, these pancakes resemble crepes, but are made with a thicker batter.

Smazený sýr A thick slab of an Edam-like cheese is breaded and deep fried, ideally giving it a crusty shell and somewhat stretchy interior. This favorite is usually served with tartar sauce -- which is meant to be liberally spread on top -- and fries.

Svícková Though technically this is the tenderloin cut of beef, on menus it means a dish consisting of two to four slabs of stewed beef, usually sirloin; in better restaurants you can get real tenderloin covered with a creamy sauce of pureed root vegetables, garnished with a dollop of whipping cream, cranberry sauce, and a slice of lemon. It's served with houskové knedlíky (bread dumplings).

 Vepro-knedlo-zelo An affectionately shortened name for the three foods that appear on one plate, this popular family dish consists of pork, dumplings, and cabbage, the latter being stewed with a bit of caraway.

Zelnacka Cabbage is the main ingredient in this hearty soup whose flavor is accentuated by smoked pork or sausage and caraway. It can be a filling meal in itself when served in a small round loaf of bread.

  Best Dining Restaurants

If there's a gastric draw to Bohemia, it's the beer

The beer industry is considered a part of the national heritage. Beer is one of the oldest drinks known to mankind. In Bohemia beer was always made from malt, hops and water and everybody that had the opportunity and the raw materials could brew it, i.e. the feudal lords and church dignitaries. Many royal towns were established in the 13th century with various privileges, and one of the greatest was the right to brew beer. In the 14th century, the brewing and malting trades were separated from each other and two different guilds were created

Czech beer tends to be more full-bodied and bitterer than foreign brews. There are many different types of beer. Apart from the famous brews such as Pilsner Urquell, Budvar and Staropramen, there are also many local brands each with their own specific taste. Today there are fifty brands. You can visit most of the breweries and taste their beer at the very source. There are also about twenty restaurants with their own micro-breweries, where you can follow the brewing process for yourselves.

Maybe the most famous is U Fleků, Novoměstský pivovar.

Those interested in beer can acquaint themselves with its production, history and traditions in museums of brewing. The most well known is in Plzeň. There are also museums of brewing in the U Fleků brewery restaurant .

For several years now Czechs have held the world record in the amount of beer consumed per head of the population. They drink on average 160 litres a year.

  Breweries

· Prague

Pivovar Staropramen, Nadrazni 84, 150 54 Praha 5
Founded: 1869, as a joint-stock brewery
Owner: Prazske pivovary, a.s.
Types of beer: 10% light Staropramen, 12% light lager, Dia
Miscellaneous: - the Staropramen brand makes up 95% of the total exports by the Prague breweries owned by the company
During the state visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the Czech Republic in March of 1996, her husband the Duke of Edinburgh made a visit to the Staropramen brewery in Smichov.

Pivovar Branik, Udolni 212/1, 147 00 Praha 4
Founded: 1898, by the Prague brewers
Owner: Prazske pivovary, a.s.
Types of beer: 10% Branik, 12% Branik lager
Miscellaneous: - after extensive reconstruction, the brewery is now the most modern operation of its type in the Czech Republic.

Prvni Novomestsky Restauracni Pivovar, Vodickova 20, 110 00 Praha 1
Founded: 1993, by Novomestsky Pivovar, s.r.o.
Owner: Novomestsky Pivovar, s.r.o.
Types of beer: 11% light and dark yeast lager
Miscellaneous: This brewery is inside a restaurant reminiscent of "Old Prague." Something of a Czech "brew pub" in that sense.

· Central Bohemia

Kralovsky Pivovar Krusovice
Founded: 1581, and in 1583 it was purchased by the emperor Rudolf II for the Czech Crown and was associated with the Krivoklat estate.
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Pivovar Velke Popovice, Ringhofferova 1, 251 69 Velke Popovice
Foundation: 1874, by Frantisek Ringhoffer
Owner: Pivovar Radegast, a.s. is the largest shareholder with more than 85%.
Types of beer: Velkopopovicky Kozel 10% light beer, Velkopopovicky Kozel 10% dark beer, Velkopopovicky Kozel 12%, Velkopopovicky Kozel 14% dark, Velkopopovicky Kozel non-alcoholic beer.


· West Bohemia

Plzensky Prazdroj, U Prazdroje 7, 304 97 Plzen
Founded: 1842, by townspeople with brewing privileges
Types of beer: Pilsner Urquell, Gambrinus, Primus,
Purkmistr, and local brands
Miscellaneous: Has a Brewery Museum and brewery tour retains techniques of fermenting in wooden tubs and barrels.

· South Bohemia

Budejovicky Budvar, n.p., Karoliny Svetle 4, 370 21 Ceske Budejovice
Founded: 1895
Owner: State
Types of beer: 12% light lager, 10% light lager, low-alcohol beer,
Miscellaneous: At the end of 1996, the brewery reached an annual production of a million hectaliters for the first time in its history.

Czech glass

Czech crystal
When the word "crystal" is used most people think of Bohemian crystal. Indeed, this country has a large number of glassworks producing some of the world's most high quality glass. Czech glass, and particulary engraved glass attained world fame. Czech crystal was unusually clear, lofty in shape and with a characteristic ornamentation

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Czech chandeliers
Czech crystal chandeliers, symbols of good taste, wealth and gentility, became as prestigious as expensive jewelry. The glitter of Czech crystal chandeliers magnifies the lustre of castles and palaces of heads of states world wide, and illuminates parliaments, governmental residences, universities, concert halls, cathedrals and sanctums across the globe. Czech crystal chandeliers hang, for example, in Milan's La Scala, Rome's Royal Opera, in Versailles, in the Petrograd museum and in the residence of King Ibn Saud at Riyadh. Czech crystal chandeliers are deservedly called "crystal sun" - a sun which never sets and which forever remains the jewel in the crown of the Czech glass craft.
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Jewellery

Jewellery and glass beads
The Czech Republic is famous for its jewelry produced by JABLONEX in Jablonec nad Nisou. Bead jewelry, imitation pearls, strass jewelry, and custom- made jewelry are some items to look for.

Bohemian garnet
Bohemian garnet, deposists of which are located only in Bohemia, has maintained a unique position due to its nice, fiery red color and its refractive properties – not to mention its curative effects. Its reputation has been known since the time of Emperor Rudolf II, an admirer of Bohemia garnet, who possessed numerous unique examples. Bohemian garnet has helped to overcome sorrow, bringing vital power, spirit and feelings of joy. Over the course of time, Bohemian garnet and jewellery using Bohemian garnet, has gained popularity even beyond the borders of Bohemia. The most significant manufacturer of the Bohemian Garnet Jewellery in the world is Granat Trutnov.
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Czech porcelain and ceramics

Blue onion porcelain – zwiebelmuster
The pattern used on this porcelain has been labeled from the beginning as an onion pattern, it originates from the combination of stylized plant motifs on an East Asian style bacground, however it is adapted to the european style and concept. The common name onion pattern has it´s origins in thefaulty interpretation of one motif of the pattern, the depiction of a pomegranate, which by it´s shape distantly reminds one of an onion. In spite of this the concept of " cibulak " is a symbol of delicate beauty, a symbol of the combination of usefulness and being pleasing to the eye, a symbol of uniqueness and worldliness. Porcelain with the onion pattern is manufactured in Czech Republic by the stock company Czech porcelain. It´s a blue onion porcelain - zwiebelmuster.
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Hand-painted Easter eggs ( kraslice )
A nice little Czech souvenir that will come in especially handy at Easter is a box of beautiful hand-painted Easter eggs. Many of them are true works of art! You can find them at markets and souvenir shops all year round.
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Carlsbad spa wafers ( lázeňské oplatky )
If you have a sweet tooth, you will probably love the spa wafers, a tradition from Karlovy Vary. They come in several flavors, such as vanilla/nut and chocolate (our favorite!). Either buy them fresh on the street, or look for them in a grocery store - in that case, make sure they are made by Opavia.

Becherovka
Another staple from Karlovy Vary is the herbal liquor Becherovka that is said to have medicinal properties (good for digestion). It can be an acquired taste, so try a bit first.

When we talk about Bohemian or Moravian folklore we are thinking about folk literature, ceremonies, theatre, songs, music, dancing games and, last but not least children's folklore. All these customs are handed down from generation to generation and you can acquaint yourselves with them at folklore festivals that are held throughout the year.

The Ride of the Kings in Vlčnov is an unforgettable experience and probably the most important folklore festival of the year. It is held every year on the last Sunday of May. The Ride of the Kings is a very old custom that used to be observed in many villages in this country. Today, it takes place in only three places in the Slovácko region – in Vlčnov (every year), Hluk (every second year) and in Kunovice (irregularly). Few people have never heard about Vlčnov – today this "village of kings" is also known abroad. It is celebrated by the locals wearing magnificent folk costumes, which have often represented the Czech Republic abroad. With the number of different costumes (81) they have been entered in the Guinness Book of Records. During this folklore festival (listed in the UNESCO calendar) the whole village full of visitors comes alive with song, dance, music and good food and drink.