ALL OF THOSE SCHNITZELS!

And it goes like this....Czechs love pork schnitzels and the schnitzel accompanies the Czechs everywhere.

Do you go camping? You make schnitzels! Do you go skiing? Do not forget those schnitzels! A day hike trip? Of course with a schnitzel ! An interview in a nearby town? A schnitzel for a good luck is in your bag! Are you invited for a Czech wedding?  The chances are you will taste the best schnitzels, the bride's family secret recipe! Do you fly international along interstate flights with food for purchase only? Those schnitzels are in the carry-on for everyone in the aisle!

 There is not such a thing as "a schnitzel" even if you are alone. Schnitzels always come in quantity. And so, if a Czech goes for a short trip, there are about ten schnitzels in the bag. If a Czech goes with other families, the amount multiplies accordingly as Czechs love to share their food.

How do you keep them fresh? Schnitzels never go bad! They are kept in a nice tight box, wrapped in one layer of thick napkins  and a layer of wax paper. Preferably  in a cooler, but even without the luxury of that, schnitzel’s power is its lasting freshness for days, six is guaranteed.

We are proud of our schnitzels, it is one of our signatures and we noticed  they are hardly refused by anyone who is offered a schnitzel: Please, have a schnitzel, we have plenty! And here comes the smile and the hand is reaching out and off the schnitzel goes...and after several bites the Czech knows it was another success. And so those pork tenderloin thinly sliced are magically turned into schnitzels by pounding them like you do not know tomorrow, real real thin, then salt and pepper and three stop dips: flour, egg and bread crumbs, then you fry them on butter till there are golden...you put them on a nice cloth to seep out the excess of fat and like a hallo a small gold crumbs making a way around that gorgeous schnitzel that is...well, holy to the Czechs.

On our trips we, Czechs, eat our schnitzels cold  with a piece of dry hearty European bread, mustard and sweet crunch small pickles. If we eat schnitzels at home, then we serve them warm with potatoes or mashed potatoes or the most delish combination is a schnitzel with Czech potato salad.

If you decide to eat it with rice or pasta, enjoy it, but never mention it to the Czechs. And if you put ketchup on your schnitzel, it is the biggest culinary misstep according to any Czech!

Schnitzel is our holy grail of Czech gastronomy, the beauty of it is not just its lasting power, delicious nature, but the convenience to eat it cold or warm, you can find it on the menu in the top restaurants or in a small shack on the top of a mountain, you can slip it in your pocket or dress it on the finest Czech porcelain!

And so, now you know!  I thought it may come handy. You never know when and where you may run into a Czech you want to impress. Everyone knows about the magic of Prague, about our supreme Pilsner beer, about the charm of music by Dvořák, about our mighty Czech tennis players, you may have  even heard about the Czech inventions of blood types, fingerprinting,  lithography, contact lenses, and such, but your  thorough knowledge about a schnitzel will dazzle any Czech!  :) 

Dobrou chuť! Bon Appetit!