Czech Goulash and Dumplings

Czech goulash is a rich, thick stew of beef slow-cooked with onions and paprika until tender, a heartier, less soupy cousin of the Hungarian original, served with the country's beloved bread dumplings, knedliky, to soak up the sauce. It is the archetypal Czech pub meal, made for a cold day and a glass of beer. The dumplings are the part that catches visitors out: they are steamed bread rather than potato, cut into pale discs with thread or wire, and their whole purpose is to be pushed around the plate until the sauce is gone. Versions vary from pub to pub, and the better ones use cheaper cuts cooked long enough to fall apart.

What you actually see

• The beef goulash - the rich, thick paprika-and-onion beef stew.
• Bread dumplings - the soft sliced knedliky that accompany it.
• Pub dining - the classic meal in a traditional Czech pub.
• With beer - the pairing with a Czech lager.

When to go

Year-round; hearty comfort food especially welcome on a cold day, found in pubs everywhere. A traditional pub does it best, with dumplings and a beer.

Honest expectations

It is heavy, meaty comfort food rather than fine dining, so come hungry. The bread dumplings surprise those expecting potato ones. Quality varies, so a good pub beats a tourist-menu version.

Nearby

Pubs across every Czech town serve it; it belongs with a pint of pilsner.