Soup forms the foundations

The eating habits of those who inhabit the Czech lands differ little from those in other European countries. Three meals are eaten in the course of the day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. The main meal of the day for most Czechs is lunch. Whether at home or in a restaurant, lunch usually consists of three courses: soup, a main dish and dessert (or salad).

Soup forms the foundations of any meal, say Czech mothers to their children. If you are recovering from an illness or you want to calm a bad stomach, beef or chicken broth (hovězí or kuřecí vývar) is recommended. Broth with homemade noodles and liver dumplings is a common dish at wedding receptions. In addition to clear broths, Czech cooks can also make excellent thick soups made with meat, vegetables and pulses. From the variety of these kinds of soup, which fill the belly almost as well as a main meal, try potato soup (bramboračka) fragrant with marjoram, goulash soup (gulášová polévka) served in a small round loaf of bread, or tripe soup (dršťková polévka) made with beef.