Česnečka

The story

Česnečka, also called česneková polévka, is the garlic soup of Czech kitchens and restaurants. It comes with croutons and, if you like, minced sausage, a raw egg or cheese. The base is cheap and quick: broth, diced potatoes, a generous handful of garlic and dried marjoram, the herb that also seasons Czech potato pancakes and potato soup, with caraway sometimes added as well. The croutons are part of the dish rather than a garnish. Czech cooks also fry bread and rub it with raw garlic to make topinky, the same flavor in another form. Restaurants often bring grated cheese in a separate bowl, while other recipes drop cubes of Emmental into the bowl and ladle the hot soup over them so the cheese melts and stretches. Czech folk advice, the so-called babské rady, prescribes česnečka for anyone coming down with a cold, and many Czechs also count it as the best cure for a hangover. The whole soup takes about 40 minutes. Toast the croutons while the potatoes simmer, and follow it with something sweet, such as škubánky with poppy seed, for a meatless Czech supper.