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Going Where the Tourists Go in Praha

March 11th, 2009

Pig Roasting on a Rod

Prague, Czech Republic – Admittedly, I didn’t do much research before coming to Prague. I had 11 days in the US and was back in Bangkok for 26 hours before flying to Vienna, where my days were quickly filled with cafes, museums and my host’s social rounds. And then there was the ball, the International Atomic Energy Agency Ball to be exact, a grand affair of dancing and drinking, chandeliers and painted ceilings, and gowns and tuxes at the beautiful, historic Hofburg Palace. The next morning at 11 a.m. I was boarding a train for Prague, excited, but completely unprepared.

As we wandered the cold, cobblestoned streets, passing by grand churches, my traveling companion must have felt that he too had a place among the statues of saints. I didn’t want to eat at one place because they advertised that they spoke English well or another place because they had a sign up indicating that they accepted Euros and yet another because the font led me to believe that the servers might be dressed in medieval costumes. I think all the places in the town’s center are going to cater to tourists; the locals probably eat outside of town, he said without the slightest strain in his voice.

As it turned out, some of my favorite snacks were found at tourist central, the Old Town Square. It used to be the location for the the city’s central market. Today, surrounded by the Astronomical clock, Tyn Cathedral, St Nicholas Church and other sights it hosts a collection of food stalls with plenty to warm cold hands on a grey day. To drink, there is svareny vino (mulled wine), grog (rum and hot water) and beer, of course. Long grilled sausages in crusty rolls are sold at several stalls. More impressively, one sausage stall also had a whole pig roasting on a spit next to burning wood for plates of roasted pork with mustard and bread. The potato pancakes looked appealing, but I stayed away from fried dough the was smothered with ketchup and shredded cheese. For all I know, I missed a traditional Czech specialty with universal appeal. It was certainly popular. There was also a little hut of pastries, all sorts of powdered and doughy good things. Yet my favorite thing, of both the Square and the trip, was trdelnik, a slovak pastry that is made by wrapping dough on a rod, roasting it, rolling it in sugar and chopping it into like cylinders. The dough inside is soft, warm and sweet. The roasting gives the exterior a crisp, slightly bitter and caramelized flavor, reminiscent of orange peel. So who cares if every other tourist in town is lined up? Their lead is worth following.