Dumplings are a popular dish in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The name “dumpling” comes from the German word “knödel” (can be translated as “dumpling”). The name was fixed in the Czech language (the Slovak language has its own, slightly different version of pronunciation) by the beginning of the 19th century, and the dumplings themselves became the national dish of the Czechs and Slovaks. Traditional classic dumpling recipes come from Austrian culinary traditions, more specifically from Viennese recipes, later refined in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Dumplings are boiled dough (or potato) products, sometimes with a filling (it can be sweet, for example, fruit or savory). Cottage cheese dumplings are also popular.

How to cook dumplings?

Dumplings are boiled in water or steamed. They are either formed into balls, or the dough is first formed into a thin loaf, which is cut into slices, after which the dumplings are boiled. Dumplings prepared according to Czech recipes, especially filled dumplings (in the form of fairly large balls), can be served as a separate dish. Unfilled dumplings are usually served with meat dishes (for example, beef goulash) and/or various thick sauces. They also prepare soup with dumplings (for soup they are made in the form of small balls and called “dumplings”). The dumplings are added to the soup towards the end of the cooking process and cooked for a few minutes. Dumpling soup is also a very popular dish in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Dumplings: classic recipe

  • 1 kg of wheat flour;
  • 0.5-0.6 liters of milk;
  • 30 grams of yeast;
  • 80 grams of natural butter;
  • a little salt;
  • a pinch of sugar.

Be sure to sift the flour and add salt. Dissolve the yeast in a small amount of warm milk (150 ml) with a small amount of flour and sugar. Let this dough stand for 15 minutes in a warm place. Knead the dough with the dough, melted butter and warm milk, adding flour little by little. You can add 1-2 chicken eggs. The dough should not be hard, it should be soft. Knead thoroughly, preferably with your hands. Roll the dough into a ball, place in a bowl, cover with a clean linen napkin and leave to rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.

How to make dumplings?

Punch down the dough and form into balls (possibly with filling). Or we form sausages from the dough and cut them into slices. We steam the dumplings (about 20 minutes) or simply in boiling water in a saucepan (then it turns out faster), like dumplings or dumplings. If the dumplings are unsweetened, it’s good to pour some kind of thick sauce over them, for example, with butter, sour cream, dill and garlic - it will be very tasty. Can be served with thick goulash. Or pour melted lard over them and serve with chopped green onions. The recipe, of course, is Czech, but if we serve beer with dumplings, then in small quantities, otherwise it will be difficult to get up from the table. If you serve dumplings with meat dishes, it is better to choose dark beer. But it’s better to serve some wine, Bohemian or Moravian.

Potato dumplings

Potato dumplings are also very tasty. The recipe for making them is not very complicated.

  • 500 g potatoes;
  • 1-2 chicken or 5 quail eggs;
  • flour – 200 g;
  • salt - to taste;
  • also to taste - lard;
  • fried onion.

Place a pan of salted water on the fire. Quickly peel the potatoes and grate them on the finest grater. We act quickly so that the potatoes do not darken. Drain off some of the resulting juice. Add eggs, flour to the mashed potatoes, add some salt and knead the dough. You can roll the balls with your hands, or you can separate small pieces of dough with a spoon dipped in water and drop them into boiling water in a saucepan. Cook the potato dumplings for 6-8 minutes, stirring gently. Pour hot potato dumplings with melted lard and finely chopped fried onions. It is also good to serve sauerkraut separately.

What is the Czech Republic famous for? Not only with stunningly beautiful castles and beer, known to every connoisseur, but also with its wonderful cuisine! Hearty and very tasty dishes of Czech cuisine will surely delight you!

Traditional Czech dish

One of the most famous dishes of Czech cuisine is dumplings, or dumplings. The name itself comes from the German word “knodel” - “dumpling” and came into the Czech language in the 19th century. An analogue of dumplings - “bukhtichki” - was eaten in the Czech Republic back in the Middle Ages. Initially, this dish was the lot of the poor: flour balls were boiled in water. Dumplings came to the tables of the rich in the 17th century. as a side dish for flour dishes. Then they began to stuff them with meat. And after that, fruit and cottage cheese dumplings firmly established themselves in the lists of desserts of aristocrats.

Nowadays, dumplings come in several types: potato, dough (plain and filled), and fruit dumplings.

Czechs joke that they are ready to eat dumplings for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Dumpling recipes

You can feel the spirit of the Czech Republic without leaving home: preparing dumplings is not difficult, but they turn out surprisingly tasty! How to cook dumplings?

Potato dumplings

The first recipe.
You can make dumplings from raw potatoes. You need to prepare potatoes, eggs, salt, lard.

Grate the potatoes on a fine grater.
Drain the resulting liquid.
From this mass, flour, eggs and salt, knead the dough.
Carefully drop small pieces of dough into boiling salted water with a spoon.
Cook, stirring gently, for 6-8 minutes.
Pour melted lard over the finished dumplings.

The second recipe.
We prepare dumplings from boiled potatoes.

Products: Potatoes - 1 kg;
Eggs - 2 pcs.;
Flour - 350 g;
Salt to taste.

Mash hot boiled potatoes until pureed.
Mix the dough from mashed potatoes, eggs, salt and flour.
On a table sprinkled with flour, roll the sausages finger-thick and cut them into 5 cm pieces. You can make dumpling balls about the size of a walnut.
Cook them in salted boiling water until they float to the surface. We catch it with a slotted spoon.

Bread dumplings

The first recipe.
We prepare dumplings from yeast dough.

Products:
Flour - 0.5 kg;
Warm milk - 200 ml;
Yeast - 20 g;
Egg - 1 pc.;
Salt - 2 teaspoons.

Mix milk and yeast.
Add the rest of the ingredients and knead the dough.
Let the dough sit in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Form balls or sausages.
Cook the dumplings in boiling water for 20 minutes. Prick the dumpling with a fork: if it remains dry, the dumplings are ready!

The second recipe.
Steamed dumplings are interesting.

Products:
Flour - 250 g;
Egg - 4 pieces;
Milk - 1 glass;
Salt to taste.

Beat the yolks, add milk, salt, flour. Separately beat the whites and pour them into the resulting mixture. Mix the dough.
Wet a napkin with cold water and wring it out. Wrap a piece of dough in it and tie it (knots at a distance of 2 cm.)
We hang the bundle of dough over a pan of boiling water on a spoon (preferably wooden) with a long handle. The knot should not float in water.
After 20 minutes, loosen the bottom knot. Cook for another 25 minutes.
We take out the contents of the napkin and immediately cut it with a thin thread (into strips).

Dumplings with smoked meats

There are many options for filling dumplings. Let's start with the meat!

Products:
Potatoes - 6 pcs.;
Smoked pork - 300 g;
Egg - 1 pc.;
Onion - 1 pc.;
Flour - 2-3 tbsp. spoons;
Butter - 30 g;
Salt and pepper to taste.


Sauté the onion.
Finely chop the meat, mix with onions, fry a little, and pepper.
Add the egg to the cooled puree and knead the dough.
We form the cakes, put the filling in the middle, and pinch them together.
Cook the dumplings in salted water until they float. Cook for another 1 minute - done!

Dumplings with mushrooms and onions

Products:
Potatoes - 800 g;
Egg - 1 pc.;
Mushrooms - 400 g;
Onion - 2 pcs.;
Flour - 30 g;
Lard - 150 g;
Salt - 0.5 teaspoon;
Parsley, pepper to taste.

Boil potatoes and prepare mashed potatoes.
Mix the puree, flour, egg and add salt.
Let's melt the bacon. Fry mushrooms and onions in it. Let's pepper it. Let's add greens.
Let's form a cake from potato dough. Place a small amount of filling in the middle. Let's roll it into a ball.
Cook the dumplings in hot but not boiling water for 20 minutes until they float to the surface.

Dumpling soup

Soup with dumplings is very popular in the Czech Republic.

First we make chicken dumplings for the broth.

Products:
Yesterday's white bread - 150 g;
Half an onion;
Boiled chicken breast - 150 g;
Milk - 125 ml;
Butter - 1 tbsp. spoon;
Chopped green onions, chopped parsley - 1 tbsp. spoon;
Salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the bread and breast into small cubes.
Fry finely chopped onion in oil.
Mix breast, bread and herbs.
Beat the egg with milk, salt and pepper.
Pour in the bread mixture.
Knead the dough. Leave for half an hour.
Knead again with wet hands, forming balls slightly larger than a walnut.
Cook over very low heat in salted boiling water.
Dumplings on plates, pour broth - ready!

Liver dumplings

Products:
Beef liver - 300 g;
Stale buns - 8 pcs.;
Warm milk - 375 ml;
Half an onion;
Eggs - 2 pcs.;
Salt - 0.5 teaspoon;
Butter - 1 tbsp. spoon;
Chopped parsley - 2 tbsp. spoons.

Dry marjoram, ground white pepper to taste.
We pass the liver through a meat grinder.
Thinly slice the buns and soak in milk for an hour.
Sauté the onion and let it cool.
Beat eggs with marjoram, pepper and parsley.
Mix eggs, buns and liver.
Form dumplings and cook in boiling salted water until they float. If the dumplings are falling apart, add breadcrumbs.

Sweet curd dumplings

We never cease to be surprised - sweet dumplings can be served as a dessert, or they can be eaten as a separate dish, for example for breakfast.

The first recipe.
Try the classic recipe for dumplings with cottage cheese.

Products:
Cottage cheese - 250 g;
Egg - 4 pcs.;
Raisins - 40 g;
Flour - a glass;
Zest of one lemon;
Sugar - 60 g;
Nuts, salt, vanillin to taste.

Knead flour, eggs and salt into a soft dough.
Roll out into a thin layer.
Cut into squares.
Mix cottage cheese with remaining ingredients.
Spread filling on each square and pinch the edges.
Cook in boiling water over low heat for 30 minutes.

The second recipe.
Curd dumplings with fruit.

Products:
Cottage cheese - 200 g;
Semolina - 2 tbsp. spoons;
Egg - 1 pc.;
Salt - 1.5 teaspoons;
Ground crackers - 1 tbsp. spoon;
Cinnamon, vanillin to taste;
Fresh fruits (apricots, peaches, plums).

Mix the dough from cottage cheese, semolina, crackers and eggs.
Form thick cakes. Place pieces of fruit on them, sprinkle with cinnamon and vanilla, and pinch (very tightly).
Cook in boiling water, stirring gently. When they float to the surface, cook for another 2 minutes.

What are dumplings served with?

Dumplings are served with soup, with meat, with beer and even for dessert!

Dumplings are often served with sauce. Czech sauces for dumplings are often made from butter or flour, which are diluted with broth.

Meat dumplings are served with broth, boiled vegetables, fried onions, herbs and, of course, beer!

Potatoes are eaten with sour cream, the same fried onions and herbs.

Both dumplings are put into goulash.

Sweet dumplings are sprinkled with roasted nuts, vanilla sugar or powdered sugar. Cottage cheese dumplings are eaten with jam.

Where to eat dumplings in Prague?

Dumplings are served in all Prague national restaurants. In particular, in such establishments as:

“At the bowl” (“U kalicha”): they say they make wonderful sweet dumplings with honey, preserves, jams, nuts and syrups and the most delicious dumplings with minced meat, lard and tenderloin;

"Cereberus Continental": experts recommend potato dumplings with cabbage and smoked meat;

"Palac Kinskych": classic Czech cuisine. Potato dumplings with fried game or dumplings and rich goulash - excellent, isn’t it?

Prices in Prague are quite reasonable. On average, a meat dish with potato dumplings and sauce will cost 150-200 CZK in the city center. Further from the center you can have lunch for 100 CZK (and the portions are huge!). In establishments pivnice, hostinec or hospoda they feed cheaply and only with national cuisine, so dumplings are guaranteed!

Dumplings - so simple and tasty - are an integral part of the Czech Republic. They are easy to prepare - everyone can treat themselves to hearty potato or sweet cottage cheese dumplings. And if you decide to visit the Czech Republic, be sure to enjoy real Czech dumplings with sauces, game, fish and poultry!

Bon appetit! Dobrou chut!

Yeast dumplings made from dough (Czech knedlik, Slovak knedl "a), boiled in water without filling in the form of a loaf. You can simply prepare dumplings from bread, potatoes, with different fillings, in the form of balls, steamed. Serve Czech dumplings with different sauces as a side dish for meat and vegetable dishes.

Ingredients (For 4 people)

Wheat flour 500 g

Water 250 ml

Salt 2.5 tsp

Granulated sugar 0.5 tsp

Active dry yeast 14 g


Step-by-step recipe for Czech dumplings made from yeast dough with photos

1. Mix warm water with sugar, 1 tsp. flour and yeast. Leave for 10-15 minutes.

2. Sift the flour into a bowl, add 1.5 tsp. salt and yeast starter, mix well, cover with a napkin and leave to rise in a warm place for 45-50 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into 3 equal parts, form thick round cakes and roll them into cylinders, without using flour, to make “loaves” 15 cm long, and leave for 10-15 minutes.

4. Boil water with 1 tsp in a large saucepan. salt. Carefully place the dumplings in the water (so that there is enough space between them) and reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, then turn them over and cook for another 7 minutes.

5. Take the dumplings out of the water and cut them in half with thin white threads and check the readiness of the dough; if it is sticky and undercooked, place it in boiling water and cook for a minute.
6. When the dumplings are ready, cut them with a sharp knife or thread into 1.5 cm slices and place them beautifully on a dish. Bon appetit!

Dumplings are rightfully considered the most famous and popular dish in the Czech Republic. They are made from raw and boiled potatoes, flour and even bread crumbs. Dumplings can be without filling, or they can be prepared with minced meat, liver, onions and lard. They are eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and sometimes for dessert!

For this purpose, dumplings with strawberries or plums, cottage cheese and sour cream were invented. Every Czech housewife prepares them - according to a “recipe from her great-grandmother” or according to a newfangled recipe from a glossy magazine. Today we will tell you how to prepare the most popular Czech dumplings.

Name: Classic dumplings Date added: 06.03.2015 Cooking time: 50 min. Recipe servings: 6 Rating: (2 , Wed 5.00 out of 5)
Ingredients

Classic dumplings recipe

Heat the milk, but do not let it boil. Dissolve the yeast in the milk, add the remaining ingredients, stir thoroughly and knead the dough. Place it in a bowl, cover with a towel, place in a warm place and let the dough rise (about 30 minutes). Then form small balls and boil them in salted water (10-15 minutes).

Discover Czech cuisine starting with a simple dish! The larger the dumplings, the longer they cook. To determine if the dish is ready, you need to pierce one of the balls with a toothpick. If it comes out dry, then the dumplings are ready. Serve hot. Remember: classic dumplings are eaten with sour cream or onions fried in lard.

Potato dumplings with bacon recipe

Name: Potato dumplings
Date added: 06.03.2015
Cooking time: 40 min.
Recipe servings: 4
Rating: (2 , Wed 5.00 out of 5)
Ingredients Peel the potatoes and let them cook. Finely chop the onion. Cut bacon (or other smoked meat) into small pieces. While the potatoes are boiling, make the filling for the dumplings - melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the onion in it until translucent. Add bacon, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Mash the boiled potatoes and cool. Add egg and flour to the cooled puree, knead the potato dough. Make small cakes from the finished dough. Make a hole in each and add a teaspoon of stewed bacon and onions. Then roll into a ball shape.

The remaining oil in the pan can be used to baste the finished dumplings. Boil in salted water; As soon as the dumplings float from the bottom, let them cook for 5 minutes and remove from the boiling water. Serve immediately, pour over melted butter and sprinkle with finely chopped fresh herbs.

Recipe for cottage cheese dumplings

Name: Curd dumplings
Date added: 06.03.2015
Cooking time: 40 min.
Recipe servings: 4
Rating: (2 , Wed 5.00 out of 5)
After soaking the raisins, drain them and mix with nuts. Grate the lemon on a fine grater to obtain the zest, and stir it into the nuts and raisins. Mix the remaining 50 g of cottage cheese with the nut mixture to combine all the filling ingredients. Make small cakes from the curd dough.

Make a hole in each flatbread and add the nut and raisin filling. Then roll into balls. Boil water in a saucepan. Throw the dumplings into boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes after they rise to the surface. Serve hot, sprinkling each portion with powdered sugar or pouring liquid jam or honey.


The culinary Czech Republic is, of course, dumplings - one of the most beloved and famous dishes. There is a common Czech joke that residents of this country can eat their favorite dish for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

- close relatives of Ukrainian dumplings, boiled in boiling water or steamed, and originated in the 19th century. In addition, both Austrians and Slovaks also claim that dumplings are their national achievement. It doesn’t seem like a unique dish, but if you try it, you’ll get a lot of pleasure, and even ask for more.

What kind of dish are “dumplings” and what do they eat it with?

Dumplings appeared in the Czech Republic back in the Middle Ages and were originally “the food of the poor.” Only at the end of the 18th century did minced meat begin to be added to this “bread”, and the dish became worthy of the table of the rich.

If you are planning to try dumplings for the first time, you should know that they are rarely used as an independent dish. This is a good side dish for meat delicacies, especially if eaten with gravy. This means that it is not necessary to cut bread for them.

At one time they didn’t bake very often - only a couple of times a month, in large quantities. Accordingly, stale bread was not as tasty as freshly baked bread. Czech housewives have gotten used to making dumplings. Although in our time various recipes for their preparation have taken root in every family, there is still a basic one.

“Basic” dumpling recipe

The number of products is arbitrary. Cut stale bread is soaked in milk (plain water). Then knead the soaked bread with a fork into a homogeneous mass, add mashed boiled cold potatoes, a raw egg, mix everything thoroughly and add some salt. Season to taste with your favorite spices: black pepper, cumin. If the mass is a bit runny, then add flour and knead the dough.

Since the mass does not hold its shape, in the old days it was “packed” in a linen napkin and suspended at all 4 corners over boiling water, thus obtaining the design of a steam bath.

Modern housewives place the “semi-finished product” in a water bath and, after boiling the water, keep it for about 30 minutes. The appearance will not seem very presentable to you, but it’s all about the taste - portioned pieces will become much more appetizing thanks to the meat gravy.

Dumplings: what to serve them with?

Let us remind you: dumplings are a special bread that is steamed. They can decorate your table as a stand-alone dish or as an excellent side dish. In the first case, the Czechs advise filling them with cottage cheese, fruits, and berries. Flour dumplings are not necessarily sweet: the dough, seasoned with salt and spices, can be filled with fried onions, meat or lard.


If you use dumplings as a side dish, then prepare roast pork or beef to accompany it. They also go very well with baked poultry - turkey, duck, goose. Whatever the preferences in each family, traditions remain traditions. And according to them, meat versions of dumplings are often complemented by soups, broths, herbs and vegetables.

Are you visiting and have permission to dip the sauce with the last piece of dumpling? Well, that means you enjoy the respect of the entire owner’s family. Because a guest from the rank of “uninvited” will not be allowed to do such a thing in the Czech Republic under any circumstances.

The dream dish of the good soldier Schweik

The legendary character of Jaroslav Hasek - the brave soldier Švejk - openly declared his passion for dumplings. With a fading voice, he confessed his love for this dish: they say that dumplings with sauerkraut are the most delicious in this world. Here it is - the favorite recipe of the literary hero:

  • flour – 500 gr;
  • milk – 400 g;
  • yeast – 30 g;
  • salt – 0.5 tsp;
  • oils – 50 g;
  • smoked meat;
  • sauerkraut.


Dilute the yeast with milk and leave to rise. Mix flour with salt, add dough, oil and knead the dough. Cover the bowl with a towel, place in a warm place for up to 2 hours, and let rise.

Then divide the dough into parts and form rolls up to 7 cm thick. Cut them into pieces - length up to 20 cm, leave under a napkin for 15 minutes. Steam the dumplings for up to 20 minutes, and then cut them into slices up to 1 cm thick.

Fry onions, smoked meat, paprika and simmer until half cooked. To this composition add separately stewed sauerkraut and simmer everything together until done. At the end of cooking, enrich the taste with your favorite spices, salt, pepper and garlic.

This is how a hearty, tasty, easy-to-prepare dish of Czech cuisine will delight you.

Now it’s time to say “Dobrow chuť!”, and let your appetite, inspired by the aromas of dumplings, be truly pleasant!