When I moved to Prague from Ireland a few years ago, I discovered a secret hidden in plain sight throughout the city’s medieval parks and hillsides.
It was a dazzling late-spring day as I meandered down Petřín Hill (previously known as King Charles’ Vineyard and still home to his 14th century vines) from the 12th century Strahov Monastery. It’s one of my favorite hiking spots in the city and throughout the winter, I took little notice of the bare-branched trees blanketing Petřín.
But as I descended on this serendipitous blue-sky day, dozens of people were picnicking beneath what I now realized were almond, hazelnut, cherry, plum, apple, and pear trees blossoming on the hillside. Their willow baskets brimmed with freshly-plucked nuts and fruit and I grew curious about how to join in their springtime party.
I struck up a conversation with a friendly Czech woman whose basket overflowed with apricots. I asked her about the cost of harvesting orchard fruit and where I could pay the fee to participate. She looked puzzled and asked, "Cost? Why would you be charged for collecting fruit in the orchards? The nuts and fruit are there for your pleasure, for the collective enjoyment of the people."
It was a revelation. I couldn't believe that this bounty was available for everyone to savor free of charge. I wasted no time and purchased a handcrafted willow basket—the traditional Czech fruit harvesting basket—the very next morning at one of the farmers’ markets.
All summer long, I enthusiastically joined the ranks of orchard harvesters, immersing myself in the collective pleasure of the task. It was a joy to mark the season based upon whatever fruit or nut was ripe and ready to be picked. I transformed my bounty into jams, tarts, pies, chutneys and nut butters just as the Czech people have done for hundreds of years.
Fruit orchards have been an integral part of Prague's landscape for centuries. This city, along with the rest of the country, has a rich tradition of fruit growing, dating all the way back to the Middle Ages. In the 13th and 14th centuries, orchards first flourished near the sprawling Prague Castle, the largest castle compound in the world.
King Charles IV, also known as King Charles of Bohemia, played a significant role in the establishment of orchards in Prague. During his reign in the 14th century, he ordered the planting of orchards in the Royal Garden of Prague Castle. These orchards contributed to the city’s fruit-growing tradition and laid the foundation for Prague’s long history of orchard cultivation and community harvesting. King Charles IV's enthusiasm for fruit cultivation helped shape Prague's landscape and contributed to the city's reputation as a hub for high-quality fruit.
As time passed, the orchards expanded during the 16th century to Prague's suburbs like Malá Strana, Hradčany, and Vyšehrad. Fruits of all kinds, from apples and pears to plums and cherries, grew abundantly in these orchards, adding vibrant flavors to the city's culinary tapestry and imbuing the Czech people with a passion for fruit harvesting.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Prague's fruit production really hit its stride, earning a well-deserved reputation for flavorful, high-quality fruit throughout Europe. Orchards sprouted up in the outskirts of the city, supplying fruit to local markets and even being exported to other parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, providing the city with a lucrative natural resource.
The expansion of Prague in the early 20th century took its toll on the city’s cherished orchards and while many of them disappeared, several have managed to survive the squeeze of urbanization.
The fantastic Na Ovoce (On the Fruit) map—a true gem created through the collective, laborious efforts of fruit enthusiasts—is a remarkable resource for orchard locations (along with fruit shrubs and hedgerows) scattered across Prague and the Czech Republic.
In Prague alone, there are a staggering 3,000 places where you can harvest fruit free of charge. But Prague is just a snapshot of the astounding 10,000 fruit-picking havens sprinkled throughout the country.
Let’s Talk Cherries!
Prague’s cherry history stretches all the way back to the 15th century. The Czech Republic’s juicy and flavorful cherries were coveted throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the city’s renown for its exceptional cherry orchards turned the annual cherry harvest into a grand celebration of festivals that attracted crowds from all corners of Europe.
Cherry festivals in the Czech Republic today take place in various regions throughout the country when cherries are in season between June and August. These festivals offer a range of activities, including cherry picking, tasting events, live music, traditional dances, and plenty of cherry-inspired delicacies.
Although cherry orchards aren't as widespread as they used to be, you can still find them in Prague and save for the price of a few dollars to rent a ladder to get up high enough in the tree, there is no fee to harvest the city’s cherries—which come in both sweet and sour varieties. I’ve offered a guide for Prague’s best cherry orchard in the paid section of the newsletter.
Traditional Czech Cherry Dishes
The Czech people have had hundreds of years to perfect their savory and sweet cherry recipes. One of the classics is cherry strudel (třešňový závin) which is a flaky pastry stuffed with sweet cherries, dusted with powdered sugar, and enjoyed as a decadent dessert.
Another traditional Czech dessert that makes the perfect canvas for cherries—or any other fruit, for that matter—is bublanina, a festive yet easy to make bubble cake that puffs up around the cherries as it bakes and is a favorite at summertime gatherings. There’s a recipe for bublanina in the paid section of the newsletter.
There are Moravian sparrows (Moravské vrabce) which are bread dumplings stuffed with tangy sour cherries that are boiled and then coated in melted butter and toasted breadcrumbs. Cherry soup (třešňová polévka) is a festive summer offering made with sour cherries, sugar, and spices. It’s either served chilled or slightly warm with a dollop of freshly whipped cream. Roasted duck with cherry sauce (kachna se třešňovou omáčkou) is an indulgent savory dish featuring tender roasted duck enrobed in a velvety sweet and sour sauce made from cherries, red wine, and aromatic spices.
Cherry Libations
Czechs also make cherry beer which is a popular variation of traditional (and iconic) Czech beer. Known as "třešňové pivo" in Czech, this slightly ruby red beer combines the refreshingly crisp flavor of beer with the sweetness of ripe cherries. In breweries, cherries are either added during the brewing process or during fermentation to infuse the beer with color and flavor. Cherry beer is typically enjoyed during the summer months when cherries are in season, making it a fleeting—and coveted—Czech luxury.
Czechs also take pride in their cherry brandy production, and many families and small-scale producers have their own traditional recipes and methods for making this refreshing—and potent— spirit. Cherry brandy is made from ripe cherries that are harvested, fermented and then distilled to extract the flavor, resulting in a strong, clear spirit. The resulting cherry brandy is typically aged in oak barrels to further develop its character and complexity.
Cherries hold a profound cultural, culinary and even spiritual significance for the Czech people. The fruit’s symbolic meaning of abundance, luck, fertility and joie de vivre is deeply woven into Czech traditions, folklore, cuisine, and everyday life.
I felt such a bond with my fellow cherry harvesters the first time I climbed my ladder to ascend into the cherry tree. As I plucked, I thought of the people who harvested cherries in this very spot over 500 years ago. In this frenetic world of ours, I found comfort in thinking about the people who would be here in a hundred years filling their willow baskets with this noble Czech fruit, experiencing the pleasure of the collective harvest.
One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste.
–Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Cherry Compote with Whipped Goat Cheese and Pistachios on Toasted Sourdough
Serves 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Compote is essentially fresh or dried fruit that has been reduced in its own juices. Cherries are an ideal compote fruit because even with the fairly long cooking time, their vibrant red flavor does not turn brown like it does with other fruit. Instead, the cheerful red hue deepens to a regal ruby color. This recipe calls for honey but depending upon the sweetness of the cherries you’re using, you might not need additional sweetener. If you’re looking for a sweeter compote, feel free to add a bit more. Granulated, demerara, or light or dark brown sugar or even maple or agave syrups could all be used as substitutes. The orange zest and juice brightens the compote up and the star anise adds another flash of flavor. The brandy is optional but it adds a festive finish; feel free to substitute whiskey or even balsamic vinegar.
The whipped goat cheese provides the compote with a fluffy bed to land upon and the pistachios add a pop of vibrant green color and a nutty counterpoint to the fruit. Toasted sourdough is the crunchy texture and tanginess needed to really make this simple yet celebratory appetizer sing. I sourced mine from the Icelandic Arctic Bakehouse, my favorite bakery in Prague (more on my Icelandic obsession in future posts). The compote will keep for about a week in a covered container in the refrigerator or frozen for several months. It also makes a delightful ice cream topping, perks up breakfast when spooned onto oatmeal or granola, and transforms humdrum chicken or turkey into a sandwich star.
For the compote:
1 pound fresh cherries, pitted (see below for a quick pitting tip)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon of finely grated orange zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 star anise pod
A pinch of kosher salt and pinch of freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon brandy (optional)
For the whipped goat cheese:
4 ounces goat cheese, softened at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1 teaspoon ground garlic (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To serve:
1 loaf crunchy sourdough bread, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
1/8 cup olive oil
Toasted pistachios, to garnish
Basil, to garnish
Crunchy sea salt, to taste
For the compote, in a medium saucepan, combine the pitted cherries, honey, orange zest and juice, star anise, salt and pepper. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a vigorous simmer. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and continue to cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to prevent scorching. Simmer until the cherries begin to break down and release their juices and to enable the flavors to come together, about 20 minutes. In the last minute or two of cooking, stir in the brandy. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature. Remove the star anise pod. Either serve immediately after it has cooled or transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the whipped goat cheese, place the goat cheese, cream cheese and garlic powder (if using) into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients reach a smooth and fluffy consistency, scraping down the sides of the bowl during processing, if necessary. Transfer to a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Serve right away or store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
To serve, preheat the oven to 350°F and place either a silicone mat or a piece of parchment onto a baking sheet. Pour the olive oil into a small bowl. Brush both sides of each sourdough slice with the oil and arrange the slices on the baking sheet. Bake until the edges of the bread have turned a deeper shade of gold, about 5 minutes, flipping the slices over using tongs halfway through. Cool to room temperature, then transfer the slices to a serving dish. Slather each slice with the whipped goat cheese and then spoon a generous heap of compote on top. Garnish with pistachios and basil and sprinkle with sea salt.
How to Pit a Cherry
Pitting cherries can be a messy and time-consuming task. But fear not! All you need is a chopstick and a wine bottle. Place the cherry on top of the bottle, hold the bottle securely with one hand and with the other, poke the chopstick through the stem end, and the pit will pop out the other side. Hooray! Cherry pit, be gone!
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I have a lot more content for paid subscribers including a recipe for Czech bublanina, a fun bubble cake that makes the perfect canvas for celebrating the cherry and a quick recipe for dehydrating cherries so you can enjoy them long after cherry season wraps up. There’s also an explanation of the differences between sweet and sour cherries and a guide for Prague’s three top cherry orchards—including info on how to rent your cherry tree ladder!
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