Czech Dumplings (knedlíky)

The typical Czech side dish is dumplings (knedlíky). Usually, we eat dumplings to a meal with meat and sauce but also we have dumplings stuffed with meat or sweet dumplings stuffed with fruit like a sweet main dish or dessert. Either way, Czech dumpling are never diet. They are full of white flour, often lard coated. But although it is one of the most typical things in Czech cuisine, don’t think Czechs eat it every day. They don’t, it’s just time to time, many Czechs eat dumplings even less than once per month.

Dumplings as a side dish

Those types of dumplings we never eat alone, it always goes with at least sauce, usually with meat and sauce. Various dumplings fit different types of dishes. For example, you can eat “svíčková” with bread dumplings, carlsbad dumplings or bread dumplings but it is not common to eat it with potato dumplings.

There are many variations of dumplings, the most often you can come across these ones:

Also, there are many variations on the shape of dumplings, especially potato dough is used for more types and some of them are also roasted on pork loin after cooking.

Stuffed dumplings with meat

These dumplings are made from the same dough like potato dumplings, but each dumpling is made as a ball and it is stuffed with smoked pork. It usually goes with fried onion and cabbage. It is s heavy main dish.

Fruit dumplings

These sweet variations on dumplings stuffed with fruit are common as a sweet main dish or as a dessert (of course in smaller portions). Also, there are many variations on the dough, stuffing and also sprinkling.

  • yeast dumplings – are usually quite big (3 for a main dish or one for dessert is enough)
  • quark dumplings – are smaller and lighter

There is probably no limit in the fruit we can use but most usual is stuffing with strawberries, apricots, blueberries, and plums. It can also be stuffed with jam. On the top can be icing sugar, melted butter, and grated curd or sour cream or poppy seeds or grated gingerbread or another fruit.

Fruit dumplings are a bit seasonal dish so it may be harder to get out of the summer season.

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