Czech Food

I recognize that Patrik and Jitka are atypical Czechs. They are extremely liberal and open-minded, have traveled quite extensively, and lived in the UK and New Zealand. Their diets are not representative of what most Czechs eat – they are aware of the fact that they eat much more fruits and vegetables, and try to cut down on meat.

But, a lot of the food culture seems to have remained intact in the Czech Republic. The concept of seasonal foods seems to be strong – right now, it is strawberry and cauliflower season. This means that you can get these items for cheaper, it’s fresher, and tastier. They concede that in the wintertime, now you can get things from all over the world and maybe they’re not as fresh or cheap, but they are available. But I would say that in many parts of the world, the concept of eating produce that’s locally in season has been lost. Today walking back from Patrik’s parents’ flat, we passed a number of people on the street selling buckets of strawberries that looked gorgeous. Tasting the produce, it doesn’t taste altered; they are sweet and tart and all taste slightly different and look different – size, color, shape, all vary a little…that’s real food.