Kralik – Rabbit
Tired of Chicken and Pork? Then look out for what we call Králík (it’s pronounced like kraa-leek) which is rabbit. It’s not a common item on regular menus but you’ll see it often on chalkboard menus indicating it’s a temporary item. Later in the year it becomes more available (hunting season) where restaurants take advantage of locally sourced game.
Králík Presentation
There are basically two ways of serving Králík and you generally expect the leg. The easiest (and what you’d find in non-tourist areas) is a rabbit leg served with pureed potato. In this case the Králík may be in a thick gravy, ocassionally honey-glazed in a typical “old-Czech” style as pictured above.
The “Tourist” presentation is where the Králík leg is served with dumplings and zeli (sweet cabbage – usually red with rabbit). What you have to look out for is the vinegar. If you do NOT like vinegar then avoid this option as the vinegar from the sweet cabbage will spread through the plate. Also the dumplings may be a mix i.e. part bread and part potato (bread is never a problem but over-cooked potato dumplings can be like hockey pucks).
In both presentations the baked Králík will be served with Cumin seeds on the skin so again, if allergic to Cumin then avoid.
Králík is a red meat and fairly sinewy (I’d say its very similar to eating goose) so this is an ideal meal to be accompanied by beer. It’s quite rich so you might be surprised that it fills you up. In any case, it makes an excellent alternative to the more popular meals in Prague which are dominated by beef, pork and chicken.
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