Znojmo Gherkins

Cucumbers have been grown around Znojmo since the sixteenth century - the warm dry climate of this corner of Moravia suits them and the town's records show the trade regulated early - and znojemske okurky became the standard Czech pickled cucumber, small, firm, put up in a sweet-sour vinegar brine with onion, mustard seed, allspice, bay and dill. They are the base of two national fixtures: the utopenec, a sausage pickled in the same style, and znojemska omacka, a sauce of the brine and gherkins served with beef and dumplings, which appears on the menu of every Czech pub. Large-scale commercial growing around Znojmo has declined and much of what is sold under the name is now produced elsewhere or from imported cucumbers, which local producers will point out. The town is a wine centre with a Romanesque rotunda and a system of cellars beneath it.

Highlights

• A sweet-sour brine - onion, mustard seed, allspice, bay and dill in the jar.
• Growing since the sixteenth century - the warm dry corner of Moravia that suits them.
• Znojemska omacka - the gherkin sauce served with beef in every Czech pub.
• A declining local crop - much sold under the name now grown elsewhere.

When to go

July to September for the fresh crop. An hour.

Things to know

Check the label - a lot of product carrying the Znojmo name is made from cucumbers grown outside the region. The town's cellars and rotunda are the other reasons to be here.

Nearby

Podyji National Park is west; the Znojmo wine cellars are under the town.