traditional

Czech Sauerkraut Soup (Zelňačka)

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Delicious with rye bread and beer on the side.

It’s mid-September, and the temperatures in Czech Republic have dropped, making it feel like autumn already. As it has rained a lot, a nice big pot of warming hearty soup was on my mind. So, I decided to make and share the recipe for a classic Czech sauerkraut soup called “Zelňačka”. As I mentioned in my posts for Szeged Style Sauerkraut Goulash and Hopl Popl, sauerkraut is a powerhouse of nutrition with lots of antioxidants. Delicious klobása (kielbasa), spices, and optional mushrooms also provide a big kick of autumn flavors. For a small meal, in itself, the recipe serves five or six people. As a first course, closer to eight.

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Authentic Recipes for Czech Christmas Cookies and Sweet Breads (České Vánoční Cukroví)

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Below you’ll find a large collection of authentic and traditional recipes for Christmas cookies, confections, and sweet breads, that are popular in Czech Republic. Many regard Central European Christmas sweets among the best in the world, and I must agree. Since I first published this post, I’ve continued to add new recipes each year. It’s one of the most comprehensive collections, written in English, you’ll find online. According to my Czech hubby, my mother-in-law would make as many as 13 different varieties for her platter, plus Christmas breads. I’ve never made that many in a given year, but have made more over the last four years, learning a couple varieties that my mother-in-law never made.

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