Czech butcher takes prize for world’s best sausage

A Czech butcher has won an award for producing the world’s best klobása, a kind of traditional sausage. Václav Klátil, who runs a family business in a town called Pacov in south Bohemia, picked up first prize in the sausage category at an unofficial butchers’ world championships in the Austrian town of Wels at the weekend. On the line from his shop, Mr Klátil told me why his klobása is the best.

“I use a traditional Czech method of production, which means I only use different kinds of meat. And I put my Czech skill into the process! The judges use 50 categories, like taste, aroma, composition, consistency…I lost one point for having an air bubble, but that was because I don’t use a vacuum machine – I’m not a big company.”

The klobása is named Matouš after Václav Klátil’s old family farm, U Matoušů. And the gold-winning sausage wasn’t his only success at the 17th international butchers’ competition in Wels – he also took silver medals for his tlačenka (headcheese) and salami this year, and has taken other prizes in the past.

“Every year I prepare a new product, and I began working on my new klobása recipe in the spring. I kept working on it and improving the recipe until it really had some zest. And that’s why the jury rated it so highly.”

By the way, if you are interested in trying out the world’s best klobása you’ll have to go all the way to Pacov, as it’s only available in Mr Klátil’s butcher's shop.