Reading time: 2 minutes PARTNER ARTICLE
What you’ve seen in the video:
What else do they have? – Co ještě mají?
Svíčková? – Sirloin?
Svíčka is a candle… – Svíčka je “a candle”.
You choose something. – Vyber něco ty.
What about moravský vrabec? – Co třeba moravský vrabec?
Vrabec…. – Sparrow…
Tak co si dáte? – So what can I get you?
Dám si něco malého, prosím. – I’ll have something small, please.
Malého? Hermelín, bramborák, utopenec. – Small? Pickled cheese, potato pancake, pickled sausage…
Utopenec? – Pickled sausage?
It’s something like dead man, the man who has drowned.
Note: Utopenec is pub slang for pickled sausage, but it literally translates as “drowned man”!
Still haven’t tried a typical Czech meal? Well, you should! The typical Czech meal consists of knedlíky (dumplings – a steamed and sliced bread-like or potato-like side dish); then you can add almost any sauce or any meat and you can enjoy Czech cuisine!
Let’s add pork and sauerkraut and we have vepřo-knedlo-zelo!
Let’s add marinated beef sirloin and we have svíčková!
Let’s add beef and tomato sauce and we have rajská!
Let’s add pork and onion and we have moravský vrabec (“Moravian sparrow” from the video)!
Let’s add a beef roll and a sauce and we have španělský ptáček!
Fed up with dumplings? OK, let’s taste some Czech snacks!
We enjoy eating bramboráky (fried potato pancakes with a lot of garlic), pickled cheese called nakládaný hermelín, or pickled sausage utopenec. Try these snacks with some beer; it’s a great combination!
Soups are also popular in the Czech Republic. There are a wide range – vegetable soups, broths, creamy soups, etc.
How to survive in a Czech restaurant:
Mám hlad. – I’m hungry.
Co si dáte? – What can I get you?
Můžete mi něco doporučit? – Could you recommend me something?
Dám si… – I’ll have …
Můžeme zaplatit? – Could we pay?
To je dobré. – That’s OK. (when giving a tip, people are expected to tip around 10 %)
In the Chef module of Czech for Foreigners course, you’ll learn how to cook traditional Czech food and other foods that are Czech favorites. Afterwards, you can cook Czech specialties and invite your friends to dinner. You’ll learn to order food and drinks in a restaurant and ask for the bill.
To find out more about My Language Adventure click here.
Note: Video produced by Prague Camera.
Other episodes in this series:
Episode 1 – Traditions
Episode 2 – New Identity
Episode 3 – Beer Lover
Episode 4 – Chef
Episode 5 – Archery
Episode 6 – Jít/Jet
Episode 7 – Super Learning
Episode 8 – Memory Training
