Bůček
You will not know it by it’s Czech name which sounds like “boo-check” but you’ll know it’s English name……… Pork Belly.
This will be a baked pork dish which has the elements of soft pork on the inside and maybe a crispy fatty edge depending on the effect that you want. It can be thinly sliced but because of the crispy edge you’ll most likely find it as a block of pork on your plate which will look like a thick piece of bacon. As you bake it with garlic and onions you normally expect that the sauce will be served on the plate in some presentations.
Presentation
You can go mad with this one. The classic presentation would be with spinach and potato dumplings (similar to the pork dish called Uzena) but in this case the fried onions from cooking the Pork Belly would be served with the dumplings. You’ll also find the spinach will be mixed with the garlic. You can also find it served with actual potatoes and a celery sauce. You can also find this cooked and allowed to cool so it can be served as part of a salad. No need to add any extra salt to this meal as the Pork Belly should have been salted before cooking.
In the version pictured above it was served with toasted rye bread, crisp white cabbage, sweet peppers and a slightly spicy chilli sauce. The next time I had this meal in the same restaurant it was still served with the cabbage, peppers and toast but no sauce. Instead there was Czech mustard and horseradish (for the kick).
It’s not the healthiest meal I’ve ever eaten but when your appetite is up after a punishing day at work it’s an excellent partner to a cool dark beer. On Czech menus it will be listed on the main course as “Vepřový Buček”.