“We Czechs simply love making all kinds of potato dishes – from the renowned halušky and potato meat or fruit-filled dumplings to the gnocchi-like poppy seed šišky s mákem and the potato pancakes called bramboráky. Potatoes are simply such an amazingly versatile vegetable!”

This Food Chain was led by Zuzana Fryntova, our Project Intern from February to June 2021. Zuzana was letting us in on a few secrets of the Czech cuisine. And yes – a great number of potatoes were involved! Zuzana led us through how to make Bramborové placky s povidly (potato flat cakes topped with plum butter) and the traditional Kyselica soup from sauerkraut. The recipes have been passed down in Zuzana’s family and come from the mountainous region at the border with Slovakia where a part of her family lives. Both used to be called “a dish of the poor” for the few ingredients and their easy preparation but don’t get mislead - they are anything but that now!

Zuzana loves travelling and has spent quite some time in the US and the UK, yet these two dishes are something she looks forward to every time she comes back home.

Shopping list (serves 4): Valašská kyselica:Broth:

• 1 kg smoked ribs or smoked pork (note: including the bones – you won’t be  needing a 1kg of meat!)
• 1 onion
• 6 black pepper balls
• bay leaf
• 3 allspice balls

To finish:

• 500g sauerkraut
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 chilli sausages (or regular ones)
• 4 potatoes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 200ml cooking cream
• 30g butter
• 250ml whole milk
• Spices: marjoram, ground black pepper, saltBramborové placky s povidly:
• 750g potatoes – cooked the previous day (whole, unpeeled)
• 2 eggs
• ½ tsp salt
• 150g plain flour
• 150g bread flour
• Sunflower oil for frying
• 300-400g plum butter to serve (check the Tesco Polish section - if you can't get it, plum jam would do!)

You can check out Zuzana's recipe here.

About Food Chain
Which rich culinary backgrounds do we have resident in our own community? Come along to our monthly group cookalong to learn someone else's recipes of home. Together we'll learn about each other's cultural backgrounds as we cook.