From the chef: Jirí Stift

There are a number of reasons why the popular cuisine of our ancestors — on which M.D. Rettigová based her seminal Home Cookbook in 1826 — could be characterized as "interesting," "varied," and "imaginative." First of all, there was the geographic expanse of Habsburg rule, which not only brought new foods, but exotic spices to enliven the original Czech regional cooking.

Fortunately, homemakers in those days had no problem acquiring the necessary ingredients — spices, fish or legumes — as every grocer had them in stock. Prior to World War I, there was no shortage of fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs. The shortages and need to modify traditional recipes came during the two world wars and under communist rule.

The reason why I've decided to reintroduce this traditional cuisine to the guests at our restaurant is the marriage of tastes Rettigová uses in her recipes, which incorporate the full geographic expanse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Traditional Czech recipes are wonderful, thanks to the influences of the various cuisines and the fresh ingredients: vegetables in markets, a wide range of herbs and spices, and items such as capers, well-fed chicken, fresh eggs, milk and cream.

The other reason — a characteristic of good chefs always — is the reliance on homemade products in the kitchen, such as stock, the base for any soup or sauce. Last but not least was the supply of foodstuffs within the local environment: streams, rivers (for crayfish) and woods. From a health perspective, their cuisine was definitely superior to today's fare.

But in today's hurried times there isn't much interest in cooking real food. You can try to cook the attached recipe — or you can, without any work, come and taste the original recipes by Rettigová, with a little update from me, in the La Rotonde restaurant from Sept. 5 to 25.