Czech Dumpling and Beer -created Ferenc Kovács master chef

Czech dumpling, or as the locals call it "knedli", is the most well-known traditional food in the Czech Republic. The reason we call this speciality to our readers' attention is that the Danubius Hotels Group now also offers delicacies of the Czech kitchen - through its hotel in Marienbad - in addition to Hungarian dishes. It is indeed worth tasting all the different traditional Czech plates in Hotel Villa Butterly. First of all, it is good to know that the Czechs generally use few vegetables and they do not use too many spices. When they do use vegetables, especially mushrooms and cabbages, then they are mostly steamed, or mixed for salads. However, there is a wide choice of noodle dishes, and one can hardly find a pub or restaurant that would not have knedli on its menu. It is served as a side-dish for roasts, with or without sauce, for fish, or even in itself, filled with apples, peaches, plums, poppy-seed or jam. The knedli is boiled in a white piece of cloth, held above steaming water, to make it light. When ready, it is unwrapped and cut into slices of a finger's thickness with a very sharp knife, or perhaps with the help of a thread. Finally, it is served for all kinds of meat dishes, especially for roasts. The traditional Czech national dish called "knedlik se zeli", which is a real delicacy, combines a pig roast, steamed cabbage and knedli. And if you fancy the Czech kitchen so much that you wish to continue tasting some more, then why not try some of the world-famous desserts, for instance Czech sweet rolls filled with cottage-cheese. The way they make these is by rolling the dough to a finger and a half thickness, then cutting it in circle shapes and making small dips in the middle of these shapes. Creamy cottage cheese is then placed in the dips and the edges are glazed with egg's white. Finally, they are baked red in the oven at medium heat. And then of course they need to be eaten. Accompanied by a few pints of good Czech beer. Such as the world-famous Pilsner, brewed in the nearby city of Pilsen, or the heavy "lezak", the thick dark "kozel", or "prela", all of which will be served in any small town's pub in the region. Pilsner Urquell is available in any Danubius Hotels.