Česneková polévka (Garlic soup) – As you might understand from the name, this soup is made mostly out of garlic. There are 2 different types of the soup. One is made as a clear garlic soup where you add a lot of garlic and at the end you top it with grated cheese and fried bread cubes. The alternate version is again made of garlic, but you also add cream, so it is a white creamy soup, not a clear broth. One way of serving it is in Bosniak (a round bread bowl), instead of in a bowl.

Kulajda (Dill soup) – This Czech mushroom soup contains dill and potatoes and is made rich and decadent with cream. Kulajda is characterized by a typical sweet and sour taste. To make traditional Czech Kulajdu, you add dill as well as a hardboiled egg in the end. Kulajda comes from the southern part of the Czech Republic, a forested region where mushrooms grow in abundance. I personally do not like it because I do not care for dill, but that is only my point of view, feel free to try it.

Držková polévka (tripe soup) – This flavor is specific, and only a few people love it, but it does not change the fact that you should try the soup at least once. The main ingredients in this soup are Držky (parts of the animal stomach) and they have a strong smell when you put them in, but do not you worry in the end the soup smells beautiful. The key ingredient makes the soup so original to the Czechoslovak region, and the final product tastes more like goulash soup, so you should really try it.

Kuřecí vývar (chicken soup) – Usually this is a clear soup with noodles, chicken meat, and vegetables. It is one of the most basic soups and the easiest to make. Vyvar is the type of soup that you can eat more than two bowls consecutively and you will still like it and want more. I highly suggest you try it because it is one of the best soups I have ever tasted.

Written by Marek Fiala