Czech Eats Part 1 Pečené koleno
By Mark
Pečené koleno or roasted pork knee is a traditional Czech delicacy that can be found throughout much of the country. It is also known in other parts of the world as Haxenfleish or Ham Hock. As the ultimate in beer food and it is firmly recommended that any visitor to the Czech Republic should get their gnashers around one at some point during their stay.
Now most people who visit the Czech Republic of course head straight for Prague and this meaty monster is available from most beer halls and traditional Czech eateries, though quality and price do vary quite considerably.
I have chomped down on perhaps more than my fair share of this sublimely sweet and succulent swine flesh some have been moist on the inside with a finely crisp and crunchy skin coming as close to hoggy heaven as possible whereas others have been rather a let down with the skin chewy and the fat opaque rather than transparent making it a rather unpleasant eating experience somewhat like chewing on an old piece of porky leather. Surprisingly to me it seems that the locals prefer the latter condition to the former and it can prove difficult to recommend one place that remains consistent in it’s crispiness. I am not one to readily recommend a touristy hotspot for somewhere to eat in Prague but in this case I would advise that the well known brew house U Medvídků has not let me down yet.
Their Koleno is roasted with black beer and the meat remains moist and hot with a skin that has reached a crispy perfection all too often lacking in other places. It is not cheap at around 330CZK about £10 especially when I consider that in my local town I can find one of equal quality for 169czk or under £5 but this is Prague and after all most of you reading this will be going there and I guess that for the sheer quantity of meat it is cheaper than London or any other major city. There is also the option to share the dish of course as perhaps sensible people would like to do but if you aren’t sensible and err on the side of greediness then go the whole hog and eat the dish yourself and feel guilty about it later especially when accompanied with some very refreshing Budweiser Budvar at just over £1 a half litre, which goes down all too easily.
I was in this establishment just last week with an old friend of mine visiting from Japan. Naturally he wanted to try this fleshy feast and when it arrived he couldn’t believe that Czechs would eat it as a single portion. Though when he tucked in I think he came to understand why people want to hog the dish as the sounds that emanated from him were not dissimilar from those made by the girl Sally when she met Harry in that 1989 classic film.
