Friday, July 24, 2015

Friday July 24, 2015

Still recovering from our traumatic arrival here in Prague but we managed to get out of the apartment today to take a food tour of Prague. I was excited to do this because I did not really know very much about Czech food. As it turns out Czech food is an amalgam of Austrian, German and Hungarian cuisine with a few tricks of their own thrown into the mix.

Gingerbread cookies 
Traditional gingerbread cookies

First stop was a gingerbread bakery -- no joke. It was pretty cool. The gingerbread creations were beautifully iced and some of the traditional variations that we tasted were yummy. One was gingerbread rolled with plum preserve and nuts. Another was with poppy seed paste. Second stop was open faced sandwiches, something I thought was more Danish than Czech but that just goes to show you what I know (or don't know). We had a delicious canapé-type sandwich with puréed beets and goat cheese, another with celeriac and a third with pickled herring (which I tried and didn't mind so much because it wasn't as aggressively pickled as I feared that it would be).

Stop two
Our knowledgeable and friendly guide, Jan

Next up -- pastrami and sausages (both pork and beef) with mild mustard and country bread. Then we had Russell and my favorite dish of the day -- sauerkraut soup! Sounds gross I know but it was really interesting and subtle with smokey bacon and woodsy mushrooms, silky creme fraiche and a flavorful basil oil. Jan, our guide, choose not to tell us about what was in the soup before we ate it and I am glad that he did not because I am afraid I wouldn't have been quite so open to it if I had known it was sauerkraut soup. 

Delicious sauerkraut soup
Pork pate 

After our soup we enjoyed some pate in a garden-type restaurant that you would never have found had someone not brought you there. And finally we had roast beef marinated in vegetables with bread dumpings. And for dessert -- apple strudel with custard sauce (and whipped cream). This last stop was an atmospheric second floor cafe where Kafka and Einstein ate. 

Svickova w/ bread dumplings 
Apple Strudel with custard sauce

It was certainly a day for professional eating. Fortunately Russell and I brought our "A" game so you needn't worry! We represented!

Kafka's cafe
Today's special apartment feature: access to the roof -- requires that you go on all fours! Be sure to watch your head ... and your back ... and your step!



1 comment:

  1. Nice reading :)
    Here are some better directions to the Sapa market - take bus 113 from metro Kačerov or bus 197 from Smíchovské Nádraží bus station to Sídliště Písnice. Sapa is open daily from 9:00-20:00.

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