Eating on a shoestring

Pickled ermine and drowned men.

If you are after a quick, cheap and filling meal and don’t fancy going to McDonald, some of the following pub snacks might fit the bill.

Smažený Sýr means fried cheese and is often served with tartar sauce and boiled potatoes or French fries. The cheese used is normally edam, but you can find also variations like fried Hermelín (see below).

Nakládaný Hermelín translates to “pickled ermine”, but don’t call now PETA or RSPCA, Hermelín is a camembert-style Czech cheese that can be pickled with onions, garlic, spices, oil, pepperoni and the like. Each pub or beer hall has its own recipe. The taste also differs with the time the cheese has been macerating. Freshly pickled cheese tends to be firmer and “sharper” whilst, after a while, it becomes softer and the taste “rounder”, but still quite spicy. This one is my personal favourite when it comes to pub food! The photo on the left shows the cheeses packed tightly in the glass jar, before serving.

Image source

Utopenec, meaning “drowned man” or “drowned body”. A pork sausage, pickled in vinegar with onions, gherkins and spices. Utopenec like Nakládaný Hermelín are normally served with a tiny salad garnish (for vitamins, you know) and a generous helping of bread. Combine this with a pivo (beer) and you have a satisfying and affordable meal for normally under 100ks. There are more things to discover in Czech pubs like home made soup or rollmpos, just be adventurous and try it out. Just one word of warning: Czech food drops directly from your lips to your hips!

Book tip: We seldom leave the house without “Czech, The Rough Guide”, it is small and has an extended section for food/ drink/ menu translations. Highly recommended.

This post was loosely inspired by Matt’s comment on my post Blog Writers Block . Thanks, Matt!

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