Fucka: Czech and Slovak Cuisine Hardcover – September 2, 2023

The eclectic cuisine of The Czech Republic (formerly part of Bohemia) and Slovakia’s small immigrant group has long been hugely under-represented in the dining mainstream. A quiet achiever, our foods have been hidden away from the limelight but appreciated in droves across homes and a few restaurants in North America. Bohemian cuisine tends to be heavy, hearty fare. There are lots of roasted meats, potatoes, onions, dumplings, pickled vegetables, soups and breads.It’s possible that you haven’t heard much about Czech/Slovak food before, let alone tasted it, partly due to the small number of restaurants available. Czechs and Slovaks are known for their hospitality, especially when it comes to food - leaving a home with an empty stomach is almost unheard of. If your friend’s mother happens to be there, you’d better adjust that belt buckle because you’re in for a feast.Though unique in its own right, Czech and Slovak food has also been defined by a melting pot of influences, springing from the Hungarians on the Slovak side and the Austrians on the Czech borders.I try to present my recipes (and by “my” I mean my mother’s and my grandmother’s and even my great grandmother’s) with minimum amount of “dressing up” and use their common sense of cooking natural foods. That also means finished dishes that aren’t styled to death. Czech and Slovak meals are very approachable and forgiving, especially in the presentation.What you won’t find in it is: Excessively fussy foods and/or pretentious ingredients. I don’t do caviar, truffle oil, or Kobe beef as examples…. I think food should be accessible and affordable to all (as is the cuisine of my homeland), and am certain that you don’t need any of these things to cook amazingly. I’m annoyed at the pretension around “cool” foods these days that don’t deserve the hype and praise. Just because some “chef” fused Japanese, Italian and Indian cuisine together artistically sky-high on an overly-large dinner plate, doesn’t mean it tastes good, or is cooked properly. Read more