Cook yourself a merry czech Christmas

The legend says that if you fast all Christmas day, you will see a golden pig...But what is even better than gold? Food!
Who would not like the winter festivities or the possibility to fill their belly with various Christmas delicacies!
See our top picks for the traditional Czech Christmas food below.
The best part? You can DIY all of those at home, too!PS: The recipes behind links are in Czech, but nothing a click on your favorite translator app would not fix 😉

Mushroom "Kuba"

Made basically only out of baked groats with mushrooms, this food is very traditional in most parts of the country. In old times, it was considered a food of the poor, now families from all society levels eat it during the Christmas Eve.
Try it yourself, the recipe is very easy!

Carp and potato salad

This is the number one Czech food for the Christmas eve dinner.
Don't let yourself be fooled by the "salad" part though - this food has enough calories to ruin your diet instantly.
The carp is traditionally deep fried, but some families use a different recipe and bake it. Or the carp can be substitued with a different fish or by a chicken schnitzel (for non-fish eaters).

The potato salad is traditionally made from potatoes, mayonnaise, pickles and other vegetables like carrots, peas, etc. The recipe varies family to family, some add ham or cooked eggs or even apples. Of course, you can also buy it in the shop to make it easier. If you want to do it yourself, try for example this recipe.

Tip: If you buy a whole carp fish (can be purchased outside of most of the shopping centers), keep the head and insides and try to make a fish soup as a part of the Christmas dinner.

Semolina Porridge

This is a traditional apetizer in some families. Made from wheat semolina and milk, it is quick to prepare.
The recipe is very easy: just put 8 tablespoons of semolina (sold as "krupice" or "krupička" in Czechia) in 1 litre of hot milk with a pinch of salt and vanilla. Cook for a few minutes until done, then serve with butter and sugar or honey. Add other toppings like shaved chocolate, ground nuts, cocoa, jam...

Christmas Cookies and Gingerbread

The confection cookies "cukroví" are baked everywhere during the advent time and you can even buy some in the shopping malls and supermarkets.
Among the most traditional, you should definitely try Vanilla Rolls (Vanilkové Rohlíčky), Wasp Nests (Vosí Hnízda) or Linz cookies (Linecké cukroví).

Honey Gingerbread is highly popular among Czechs as well.
The traditional way is to bake a "gingerbread house" - you bake different parts of the house, like walls, fence etc and then "glue" it together with sugary solution.
All gingerbread cookies are decorated with a sugar icing ornaments. Some people also decorate the christmas tree with the gingerbread cookies instead of christmas bulbs for a more natural look.

Try this recipe for a gingerbread treat!

Eggnog and Mulled Wine

Traditionally made home and drank during the whole advent time.
Although the recipe for the eggnog is quite easy, the easiest (and cheapest) solution is to buy a bottle in a shop. If you want to try it anyway, check out this recipe.

Mulled wine can be easily done home as well. The biggest plus of the homemade version being the taste that you can adjust to your liking. See these two recipes for an easy Mulled Wine!

Pea and Lentil soup

This can be a good soup for the Christmas dinner or eaten as a lunch of December 24th! The legend says that the lentil soup eaten as a lunch during the Christmas day brings money to the household, so it is definitely worth a try!
Try this recipe for a Christmas dinner pea soup with bacon or this recipe for a lentil soup with vinegar.

Christmas Cake

We already covered the dinner and lunch part of the big day. But what about the breakfast? Traditional breakfast during the advent time, as well as Christmas day, is Christmas cake ("Vánočka"). It's a sweet pastry with raisins and nuts, eaten plain, with a butter or a sweet spread. Usually, the food is complimented by a cocoa drink.
Baking Christmas cake asks for big baking experience though! That is why not so many people bake it at home and rather buy the prepared delicacy. But if you feel adventurous, try this recipe!

Have a merry Christmas and successful new year!
Let us know in the comments which traditinal food you tried and what tasted the best! 😊