Svíčková
Svíčková na smetaně (German "sirloin on cream"), or Svíčková for short , is a traditional dish in Bohemian cuisine .
Traditionally, beef fillet ( svíčková in Czech ) is used, but today it is mostly different roast beef. The special creamy sauce is made from vegetables stewed together with the meat ( onions and root vegetables such as carrots , celery , parsley root and parsnips ). The vegetables are strained and boiled with cream. To refine the taste, the meat can be marinated for a few days beforehand. For this purpose, the meat is larded , poured with melted butter and placed in a casserole cold with the vegetables, peppercorns and bay leaf .
The meat is served in portions or in thin slices and served with the sauce, whipped cream , cranberries and lemon. Bohemian dumplings are served as a side dish .
Due to the high price of the beef fillet, it is also common in gastronomy to serve other meat. This version is called falešná svíčková (German "false sirloin"), and pork is usually used for this.
Surname
The beef sirloin is called svíčková in Czech , an adjective derived from “candle”. Hence the occasional erroneous translation into German as "roast candles". The name possibly goes back to a transfer of meaning from kidney fat for the production of candle tallow .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Keyword svíčka in: Václav Machek, Etymologický slovník jazyka českého. Prague 1971.
