I really enjoy Czech food. Warm and hearty, a plate of goulash offers the perfect opportunity to skip work for the afternoon and take a long nap. Sure, it may not be the healthiest and side dishes may just be 15 kinds of potatoes, but who ever said simplicity shouldn’t be appreciated?
Czech food has rarely been seen as gourmet. Critics have written the food is “not exactly dietary,” and “drowning in gravy.” An article titled “Splendors and Miseries of Czech cuisine” was not exactly complementary of the heavy stews and vegetable-devoid dishes in the Czech diet.
But Czech cuisine has undergone a makeover in the past few years as chefs experiment with new culinary ideas. Gourmet restaurants like Czechouse Grill and Kampa Park are putting Prague on the map for fine-dining. Prague’s expansion into more diverse cuisines awarded Allegro, an Italian restaurant in the Prague Hilton, a Michelin Star, the first ever for the Czech Republic.
On 29-31 May 2009, Prague will spotlight its growing food reputation by hosting the third annual Prague Food Festival. Last year’s festival attracted over 8,000 people from around the world who came to try delicacies and dishes from over thirty of the Czech Republic’s best restaurants. The festival’s website describes it as “the greatest gastronomic party of the year—on water and on land.”
“Between the Bridges” will be held near the Academy of Art and Design, between the Charles and Mánes bridges. Visitors can sip wine and beer and nibble on a variety of Czech, Brazilian, French, Japanese, Mediterranean and Thai cuisines, working off their feast with a stroll along the river and a view of Prague’s historic castle.
The festival is not just a showcase for the crop of exceptional restaurants and chefs calling Prague home. There will also be various cooking shows, where chefs battle over who can make the best cocktail or the fanciest latte. For the ultimate of bragging rights, the annual Nestle Asparagus Cup will be held on 31 May. Professional chefs will cook for 75,000 CZK, creating innovative and delicious dishes with asparagus. The free samples are sure to be a popular motive for watching the competition.
For those eager to learn about food preparation and perhaps pick up some new recipes for your next dinner party, Chef Milan Hořejš, head chef of V zátiší in Prague, will be giving a demonstration on preparing and marinating a leg of lamb. A beer tasting and pairing will be offered as well as a food talk show “Eat for Beauty”.
If a caramelized black cod with olive emulsion and courgette purée sounds good, watch Jacques Auffray, executive chef of Bellevue Restaurant in Prague, prepare and share the dish. And if you don’t know what an emulsion or courgette puree are, ask one of the many chefs who set up tables along the river and perhaps make a reservation after your chat.
This year, sightseeing boat tours will be offered with guided tours of Prague’s most famous sights seen from the center of the Vltava River. The Nepomuk salon boat, located on the river by the Four Season’s Hotel, will offer dinner seatings with specialized menus from various restaurants represented at the festival.
Entrance to the festival and all of the events costs 350 CZK and includes ten food vouchers which are the only way to purchase food and drinks. Each additional voucher cost 25 CZK and can be purchased in packs of ten for 250 CZK. The festival will run from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
For a complete list of activities, participating restaurants and photos from past festivals, visit http://www.praguefoodfestival.com/en/program.html.
