Summer - time of fun and junk food

In the Czech Republic, summer is a time of fun fairs, day trips and also swimming and bathing in lakes and open air pools. Those events and locations are associated with a special type of food, or junk food, to be more precise. Without it the experience would not be complete.

For example, you cannot go to a fun fair - pouť and not try a grilled smoked sausage - klobása with mustard - hořčice served on a paper plate and washed down with soda pops limonáda or beer pivo from a plastic cup - v kelímku.

Grilled sausages are usually served at swimming pools, too. Another typical lunch at the swimming pool is fried cheese smažený sýr - which is a cholesterol bomb. It is a slab of hard cheese coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried in oil.

After that it's time for a dessert. You can choose between zmrzlina - ice cream, cukrová vata - candy floss (literally "sugar cotton"), turecký med - literally Turkish honey - a chewy mixture of honey, sugar, egg whites and chopped hazelnuts. (It should not be confused with Turkish delight whose primary ingredients are sugar and starch.)

Another favourite fun fair sweet is žužu - a brightly coloured marshmallow-type of candy which is often several centimetres thick and up to half a metre long.

The ultimate fun fair classic, though, is perníkové srdce - a gingerbread heart. They are approximately the size of a book and usually have the words "with love" or "I love you" written on them in sugar icing. Gingerbread hearts are the typical presents that boys bring back to their mums or give their girlfriends, who then usually keep them till they are bone dry.

You can imagine that a day at a Czech fun fair or swimming pool usually results in many upset stomachs. The important thing is not to eat all those delicacies all at once.

And that's all for today. Have a very good summer and till next time dobrou chuť - bon appetit!