Czechoslovak Cook Book
- Year
- 1826
- Era
- 19th century
- Origin
- Czech Republic · Europe
- Language
- Czech
- Category
- Eastern European
Domácí kuchařka, generally known in English as the Czechoslovak Cook Book, established a foundational canon of Bohemian domestic cookery in the Czech vernacular at a moment when the National Revival was reasserting Czech language and culture against German dominance. Rettigová's compilation codified bourgeois household dishes, baking, and preserving techniques, and went through numerous nineteenth-century editions, shaping Czech culinary identity for generations and remaining a touchstone of national gastronomic literature.
Cooking from this book
Svíčková na smetaně
Signature dishFew dishes evoke the Czech table as completely as svíčková, a roast of beef napped in a velvety root vegetable and cream sauce, traditionally served with bread dumplings, a spoonful of cranberries and a curl of whipped cream. Rettigová's collection helped enshrine such bourgeois Sunday cooking as the backbone of a developing national cuisine, and svíčková has since become shorthand for the homely, slightly sweet and richly textured style her book championed during the Czech National Revival.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
