Czech Letters from 1899

Today, let’s immerse ourselves in the exquisite details of a hand-painted letter from 1899. Take a moment to appreciate the meticulous paintings and the graceful penmanship of its creator. The nostalgia sets in as I yearn for the days of letters, postcards, and the unhurried charm of cursive handwriting. There’s an undeniable beauty in the...

NOSTALGIA, Time Warp

August 13, 2021

Travel Back in Time to Prague

Imagine if we could travel back in time to Prague. Would you like to go back 100 years with me? The following is a chapter from a book published in 1912, entitled Around the Clock in Europe: A Travel-Sequence by Charles Fish Howell with illustrations by Harold Field Kellogg. Published in Boston by Houghton Mifflin...

Books, ENTERTAINMENT, Time Warp

August 13, 2021

World Famous Recipes of Czechoslovak Specialties

Are you interested in world famous recipes of Czechoslovak specialties? If so, then you will enjoy today’s post. I have had a little booklet for ages which I have wanted to share with you. It was put out by the Foreign Trade Commission and KOOSPOL. Based on the graphics and the amount of time I...

Recipes, Time Warp

July 7, 2021

Czech Apricot Dumplings

Czech Apricot Dumplings made with yeasted dough are so delicious. Because fresh apricots are at their peak from May through August, we decided today was the day to share this recipe. Apricots are filled with a burst of summertime color, a deliciously sweet scent, and a slightly soft fruit, which is best in season when...

LIFESTYLE, Recipes

June 21, 2021

The 100-Year-Old Czech Fish Knife

While American children may nostalgically remember how handy their Swiss Army knife may have come in, certainly almost all Czech children remember their Czech fish knife. It was inexpensive, had a very nice shape, and it was easy to open, close and cut. Fancier multi-blade knives with additional equipment came much later. The so-called “Rybička”...

History, NOSTALGIA, Shopping

Czech Retro Potato Salad by Tres Bohemes

June 19, 2021

Czech Retro Potato Salad for Chlebíčky

During the times of Soviet Rule in Czechoslovakia, most everything came with standards and protocol, including the way Czech chefs were to prepare Vlašský salát, or what we’re calling Czech retro potato salad for the sake of today’s post. While this salad has been around much longer than times of the CSSR, and older Czech...

LIFESTYLE, Recipes

June 17, 2021

The White Disease aka Bílá Nemoc

A virus that first appeared in China, spread by shaking hands, putting the elderly at risk. The Czechoslovak film The White Disease (1937) evokes current headlines, but uses the epidemic primarily as a perspective on war and dictatorship. Bílá nemoc (The White Disease – as in leprosy) is a play written by Czech novelist Karel...

ENTERTAINMENT, LIFESTYLE, Movies

June 13, 2021

Classic Czech Dinner and a Movie

It’s time for a classic Czech dinner and a movie. Today, I am sharing the recipe for Šípková Omáčka – Czech Rosehip Sauce and Pajfalský knedlík – Pajfal dumplings from Slavnosti snezenek / The Snowdrop Festivities film. A delicious recipe, a fun film, and a wonderfully spent Czech-inspired afternoon project to enjoy a great meal...

LIFESTYLE, Movies, Recipes

June 11, 2021

The Grapes – Film for Moravian Wine Lovers

I love the Czech (Moravian) wine country as much as I love their wine. The Grapes is a fun Czech comedy series which did a great job of showing off Moravian wine country and even a bit about what it’s like to run a winery while telling a fun story of a young rascal, his...

ENTERTAINMENT, Movies

June 1, 2021

Jan Mikolášek: Charlatan or Healer

Jan Mikolášek (April 7, 1889 – December 29, 1973) was a Czech healer and herbalist. He grew up in a family of gardeners and then trained professionally in the field. He trained with spice maker Josefa Mühlbacherová, and he admired the Viennese professor, Valentin Zeileis from Gallspach. The provided excerpt offers just a glimpse into...

Bohemians, ENTERTAINMENT, Movies, PEOPLE

May 31, 2021

Czech Figurines aka Vizovické Pečivo

I have admired these little Czech figurines known Vizovicé Pečivo since I was a little girl. As Czech, Slavic, or Moravians, we’ve been creating them for at least two centuries. It is without debate that these that these family jewels hand crafted by grandmothers and aunties carry a special generational wealth and are treated as...

Recipes

April 9, 2021

Archangel Gabriel and Mistress Goose

Jirí Trnka’s cinematic brilliance takes a playful turn in “Archandel Gabriel a paní Husa” (1965), a joyful puppet film that draws inspiration from Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron. Set against the backdrop of medieval Venice, this 28-minute whimsical creation weaves a tale of love, humor, and the intervention of none other than Archangel Gabriel. The provided excerpt...

Movies

December 17, 2020

Traditional Czech Christmas Wild Mushroom Recipe

Christmas is most suitable for culture and tradition. And Old Bohemian mushroom Podkrkonošský hubník certainly belongs among the traditional dishes served in Bohemia and Moravia of the olden days. If you imagine yourself living somewhere under a large castle on farmlands and the edges of forests, it’s quite likely you did not have a goose...

Holidays, Recipes

December 14, 2020

A Century of Czech Tramping

Have you ever wondered what the big deal is with Czech Tramping? Why do they walk around with cowboy hats or military fatigues? Who are they, and what kind of a movement it is? The following was written by Jan Pohunek of the Institute of Ethnology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. It...

Bohemians, Tramping

December 8, 2020

Czech Gingerbread Our Grandmothers Made

This is not a recipe for gingerbread cookies, nor is it for a gingerbread cake which most Americans identify with. This is the hard gingerbread for grating which our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used in all kinds of recipes. Gingerbread used to be the most common sweetener in Czech kitchens next to honey. It’s very dense...

LIFESTYLE, Recipes

December 1, 2020

Czech Christmas Mass

Today we are bringing you a classic Czech animated film by Jakub Jan Ryba entitled Česká mše vánoční or Czech Christmas Mass, Hej mistře, with animated images by Josef Lada. It originally appeared on Czech TV in 1966. Beno Blachut, Jaroslava Vymazalová, Marie Mrázová, and Zdeněk Kroupa are the singers of the soundtrack of Czech...

CULTURE, Holidays, Movies