Many people visit the Czech Republic for no better reason than to drink excellent Czech beer, though it is unlikely that anyone would wish to come here simply for food. Nevertheless, there are some dishes in Czech cuisine which are worth a try! Magdalena Dobromila Rettigovб (1785 – 1845), Bohemia's answer to Mrs Beeton, was a key figure in the Czech ‘national revival', and saw food as playing an important role in the renewal of her country. However, the food of Bohemia and Moravia did not emerge from centuries of Austrian dominance with an exciting and distinctive character of its own. In the composite country that was Czechoslovakia, Slavic, Austrian and Hungarian influences were blended together to form nowadays cuisine.

Local breakfasts normally comprise large quantities of ham, eggs, sausages or cheese. It is significant that in the Czech Republic, as in other Eastern European countries, restaurant menus usually state the exact weight of the food on offer, just as the pubs here always advertise the alcoholic content of the beer they serve. The lavish descriptions of food with which the great drinker and gastronome Jaroslav Hasek larded his Good Soldier Љvejk begin to sound appetising.

In Czech food, as in Russian and Hungarian cooking, soured cream is an accompaniment to numerous dishes. The first thought which comes to mind at the very mention of Czech food, however, is of dumplings ( knedlikэ ), which have the same role in Bohemia and Moravia as chips do in other countries. There are several types of dumpling, including potato dumplings ( Bramborovй knedlikэ ), plum dumplings ( Љvestkovй knedlikэ ) and, most common of all, a type of dumpling known as Houskovй knedlнkэ , which is made in the shape of a Swiss roll from a mixture of flour, eggs and white bread, and is served in slices; some of the better restaurants will even provide you with a separate tray piled high with a selection of all of these. Boiled potatoes and rice are being served as usual substitutes as well. Many of the Czech dishes of Hungarian origin such as goulash ( Segedinskэ gulaљ ), stuffed peppers ( Plnenй papriky ) and paprika chicken ( Kuшe na paprice ) have today been incorporated in milder form into Czech cuisine.