Czech Food – Pork Knuckle, a kilo of joy
Goulash is the number one most popular Czech Food but Pork Knuckle or what we call Koleno is a close runner-up. To be accurate it’s always referred to as Roast Pork Knuckle or “pečené koleno”. It’s a beast and you should not even consider taking this on unless you are very hungry or splitting between people as you are looking at up to 1Kg of cooked meat.
What to Expect from Pork Knuckle
You probably won’t be surprised by this but it’s commonly listed on menus as Pork Knee so expect the knee joint to be presented to you. Now the question is how is it presented. In a regular Czech restaurant this will be served straight to the plate, there’ll be a basket of bread, pickles, Czech mustard (not hot) and probably grated horseradish which will be the hottest thing on the plate.
However, if you go to a restaurant more aligned to foreign tourists it is likely to be served on a skewer with the basket of bread but the condiments will include ketchup, Czech mustard, horseradish sauce (not hot) and maybe grated cabbage (zeli). Why the difference? Well it’s a visual thing I guess with people lining up to take a picture of the skewer etc whereas the Czechs will already be eating.
Expect to pay CZK350 for @500g. I strongly advise people to share one if you want to know what it tastes like or if you want the really cheap version of Pork Knuckle take a look at the Old Prague Ham post.
Fast Food
This is absolutely not fast food. It’s already been cooked but they’ll need 30-40 minutes at least to fully heat through and to crisp the skin. If you go for it then my advice is to split a side of either roast potatoes and/or grilled vegetables because bread and meat is going to get a bit boring after a while.
Something Related or a Few Minutes Away
Beef – Svíčková (beef sirloin)
Beef and Pork – Sekana (meatloaf)