Czech specialties prove popular in European Parliament canteen

Marks of the Czech Republic’s EU presidency can be found all over Brussels, from David Černý’s controversial sculpture ‘Entropa’ hanging in the council’s Justus Lipsius building, right down to the food on offer in the European Parliament’s canteen. On Thursday, parliament employees were treated to the first in a series of special Czech dishes – I went along to wish them a bon apetit, or should that be dobrou chut’?

Photo: European Commission

Lunchtime in the canteen of the European Parliament and there is a buzz around the hotplates at the far corner of the room. For one day only, diners are being offered a Czech staple – breaded pork and potato salad – alongside the usual choices of pasta, soup and sandwiches for lunch. I stopped a few people to ask them about their dining plans:

“I have chosen meal number six – the Czech meal”

Why?

“Because I think it looks rather interesting, and I think it will be a nice dinner.”

Can I ask you about what you are going to have for lunch today?

“Well, the Czech specialty, I think.”

And have you tried it before, this řízek with potato salad?

“Yes I have, because I live close to the Czech Republic, in Poland, in Southern Poland.”

For some, the řízek and salad was an interesting new dish to try. For others, it was a taste of home. This Czech employee of the parliament, however, was unconvinced of the authenticity of her ‘bramborový salát’. I asked her if it tasted as it ought:

“Not at all.”

But good?

“It’s good, but not the same, not exactly the same. But it’s good.”

The man behind the meal was head chef Paul Peignol. He said he had never tried a proper Czech řízek before himself, but that the dish was fairly straightforward to prepare:

“We had a lot of assistance from an aid to one of the Czech MEPs who brought us a couple of cookbooks, so we were actually able to make the salad and the breaded pork quite easily. Thanks to this woman we will be able to make other Czech dishes now too, for example I saw a really good rabbit recipe, and then there are a few game dishes and even some fish.”

On Thursday, the meal was supposed to be rounded off by another Czech favourite; poppy-seed koláč. But due to technical difficulties making just the right sort of dough for the cake, diners at the European Parliament will have to wait a couple of weeks before they are treated to another slice of Czech cuisine.