“It was so much more than just koláče.”
By Anička
“Traditional trdelník with ice cream.” stares at me in gold lettering above a small stand on Wenceslas Square. I inhale the strong smell of cinnamon as if I were standing in front of the trdlo itself, a roller with dough wrapped around it. However, I must not be tempted by overwhelming guises and the tag of “traditional” as are hordes of tourists at whom the disproportionately high prices are aimed. “Uh, traditional,” I rant to myself as I pass the line in front of the stall, “perhaps in Hungary. How come we are not ashamed to steal such a historical pastry that isn’t ours?” Then, a sudden thought struck me. What actually is a traditional piece of our sweet cuisine?
“Of course it is. This is typical for the Czechia!” I blurted in the school cafeteria with a full bite and pointed to the tray in front of me. “What are you talking about?” I heard from the next chair, “these are Bavarian scones. There is literally Bavaria mentioned in the name of it.” At that moment, due to my ignorance of the school menu, I decided. I left the dining room with both a full stomach and a clear goal. I need to taste something similar to what I’d just had at lunch, except for its Czech and not Bavarian: the koláč.
And my dream soon had a chance to come true. Our school magazine started cooperating with New York University students living in Prague at the moment. We selected several topics for our future articles after online meetings, which went wonderful despite sitting behind electronic screens. And one of them was food. Tasting traditional dishes together and sharing feelings about Czech tastes with students from abroad was more than welcome. It was clear that due to the limits of our wallets, everything couldn’t be tasted. Sweet, salty, cold or warm, we had to choose. “How about something sweet?” popped up in our hungry conversation on Messenger. “Maybe koláče. Almost no one despises them, they are traditional and financially “student-friendly” as if.” The hearts hanging on the message grew like heads in front of the stall with trdelník from my wandering around Prague. I immediately clicked twice and sent my red approval. So we went on a trip for a koláč, a nice afternoon and a bunch of new friends.
By Hannah
As often happens when one tries to meticulously organize every detail of an event, the beginning of the koláče tasting tour did not go exactly according to plan.
Several NYU students met up with students from ALEO, exchanged greetings and introductions, and headed to our first destination. Unfortunately, the first stop on our tour was already closed for the day. Whoops.
It was no big deal, we had several more stops planned. After a short walk, we arrived at our next location. This bakery was open, however, they did not have any koláče available. While slightly disappointed, at this point, we were all eager to at least try something. The Czech high-schoolers discussed amongst themselves and eventually pointed out some other traditional pastries they recommended we try.
The first thing we dug into was called Pavlova. Overall, its meringue–like texture topped with sour jam got positive reviews from everyone who tried it. After that, we tried větrník. This cold treat would certainly be a caramel lover’s dream. It was made up of a vanilla cream sandwiched between two layers of puff pastry, and topped with sweet caramel. Not everyone in our group was a fan of the sticky sugar, but for those who didn’t mind getting their hands a little messy, this was certainly a fun dessert to try.
Next, we bit into Czech bábovka, a circular, more cake-like treat filled with poppy seed which add an earthy flavor. As we tasted this one, one of the Czech students informed us that it is much easier to grow poppies in the Czech Republic than in the US because there are less restrictions when it comes to growing opium. As I finished my slice of the bábovka, I thought that this makes sense, as the presence of poppy seeds in baked goods was much higher in Prague than I’d ever noticed in New York.
With our sweet teeth partly satisfied, we headed onto our next destination, the grocery store, Albert. Thankfully, we found koláče there!
We quickly purchased blueberry and raspberry versions of the anticipated pastry, and wasted no time divvying up portions of both kinds for everyone that was there. I was first surprised that the edges and base of the pastry were so bread-like. For some reason, I had expected something lighter, more like a croissant, but I didn’t mind the surprising texture. Overall, everyone enjoyed the juxtaposition of the more neutral bread taste with that of the sweet raspberry and blueberry centers.
The raspberry filling was the crowd favorite but even so, the ALEO students were informing us that koláče from Albert is considered to be something like the “Walmart version” of the pastry. They said koláče really should be homemade, and the next bakery we were heading to would be even better.
We were slightly surprised to hear the Czech students mention Walmart so casually, given that it’s a very American superstore, but it goes to show how strong a presence American culture has around the world. Most people may not be familiar with aspects of Czech culture the way they are with American culture, but that’s why experiences such as this koláče collaboration with Czech students was so valuable to everyone involved.
By Andrés
After finishing my last class in the afternoon, I excitedly made my way to the tram. Today was the day Prague Now was collaborating with a local high-school’s magazine staff to go around Prague for a koláče tour. As someone who had never heard of a koláče before, let alone tasted one, I was beyond excited to finally try it– and what better way to do so than with a group of kids who had grown up eating the pastry?
I arrived to the tour a bit late due to a class time conflict, but was quickly greeted by my Prague Now friends, and some new friends, with two to-go koláče, one raspberry and one blueberry, from Albert, the grocery store. These first kolaces were an amazing start to the tour. The flavors were familiar, but the koláče itself was really new to me.
After that, we walked to another nearby bakery where they were out of koláče, but we sat and tried a variety of other Czech pastries. While we ate, we had an engaging conversation with the Czech students. They taught us new Czech words, showed us some popular Czech songs and we talked about the differences in the educational systems from each country.
They also explained to us a little bit about all the pastries we were trying. One of them had a plum filling and another one had a ton of poppy seeds on top. They were both a really new experience for me, even the flavors. Although I was definitely a fan of these, I thought the original koláčes from Albert were much better.
After that, we visited the spring market by Náměstí Míru to try another koláče. This one had a strawberry filling, and was definitely better than the grocery store version. It was softer, and the filling was much tastier.
It was also at this point in the tour that two of the high-school students told us all about the Czech Easter tradition of beating girls with willow-sticks to bring them youth and beauty. We were shocked to discover the tradition, but found it funny all the while.
Finally, we visited one last location for koláče tasting– a nearby meat shop called Pekarna Kabat. Surprisingly, this koláče was the best one by far. The texture was soft, the filling was sweet, and there was the perfect amount of crumb coating on the top. It was the best way to end the tour. Ultimately, I couldn’t have asked for a better time. I left the tour with a new favorite koláče location, and a heap of new knowledge on Czech culture.
By Johana
I’m sitting in Motol, on one of those dramatic folding hospital beds, wondering how the koláče trip is going. My operation is tomorrow, and I’ve spent the afternoon mindlessly staring at a gameshow on the flat TV screen in the corner and playing tic-tac-toe with my roommate. We’ve scrawled so many tiny circles and crosses on a page from my physics notebook that the symbols have ingrained themselves in the darkness behind my eyes, like the shapes you see when you look into a bright lamp for too long.
I was looking forward to the koláče. I came up with the concept, arranged the time, marked unmissable Prague koláče shops on mapy.cz, but oh well, health is more important. The door opens, my watch points to the mature hour of five pm – time for dinner in Czech hospitals – and in walks the nurse. He carries two trays, one for me and one for my roommate; on each there is a little spoon, a carton of chocolate milk and a paper plate with none other than a huge, delicious looking koláč.
Is this coincidence, irony, or are koláče really such a big part of Czech heritage that not even invalids in hospitals can go without them?
