Local Dishes


TRDELNIK - The Czech treat that isn't

Trdelnik is one of the most common pastries to find on Prague's streets - in fact, three-dimensional invitations to try the rolled pastry hang from storefronts throughout the city, particularly in the tourist neighborhoods. But while Prague is famous for its trdelnik, the pastry was originally known as kurtsoskalacs and hailed from Szekely Land, Transylvania - home of the Szekely Hungarians. According to food historians, Count Josef Gvadanyi, a Hungarian general, settled in the town of Skalica, on what is now the border between Slovakia and the Czech Republic, in the 18th century, bringing with him a Transylvanian cook who had a tasty recipe for kurtsoskalacs in his repertoire.

Czech Street Food in Prague - Trdelnik

TATARAK

Taking cues from the French steak tartare, tatarak-technically short for tatarsk biftek-is fresh, minced raw beef with a number of mix-ins: egg yolk, diced onion, mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, maybe some diced cucumber, and usually Worcestershire sauce or ketchup (unlike the French, you won't find capers here). Sometimes it's served pre-mixed; other times you get all of its myriad ingredients fanned out around the plate, so you can mix it to taste.

At the recommendation of local friends, I had this tatarak in the quiet "upper house" of U Pinkasu (Jungmannovo namesti 16, Praha 1), a pivnice (pub) comprising three stories and five different eating/drinking areas. Like many spots in Prague, it's celebrated for its beer: Allegedly the city's oldest Pilsner Urqell pub (established 1843), it remains a beloved tankovna-pouring fresh, unpasteurized Pilsner from the tank-among both tourists and locals.


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