Use this book full of recipes to prepare a wide range of typically Czech dishes whose origins stretch far back into the past, yet have remained so popular that they are regularly consumed even today. Try your hand at everyday preparations or special dishes intended for such holidays as Easter or Christmas, a wedding feast, or simply a family celebration. Each of the recipes contains the original Czech name of the dish, and is enlivened with culinary points of interest from Czech history or present-day custom. Nor have we omitted the opinions of a number of persons of renown who in the past paid a visit to the Czech lands – how they enjoyed Czech cooking and what they thought of Czech gastronomic habits! The author – Viktor Faktor – is a connoisseur of international and Czech cuisine, who has published over a dozen previous cookbooks. He is also known as an essayist, traveler and translator of works of history or philosophy. A tinge of humour and a welcome comic relief are added by the illustrations of Jiří Votruba – the popular Czech artist and illustrator whose work so often greets visitors to the Czech Republic almost "at every step of the journey." All of the dishes depicted were photographed and arranged by two leading Czech specialists – photographer Karel Poláček and food stylist Blanka Poláčková. This book is officially endorsed by the Czech Chefs Association.