What kind of dish is this?

This is a Czech cream soup made with potatoes and mushrooms.
It is a very tasty dish that is seasoned with dill or caraway.

Name

It is named after the female chef Adelajda Kuhova (1805-1898).
She was the first person to create this dish.
The name of this dish was changed to Kulajda for pronunciation reasons.
※Some say it comes from a verb (old Bohemian) that means “to thicken with flour.
※The names vary from region to region.

History

The dish was created by Adelajda Kuhova, a female chef from Germany who lived in South Bohemia.
Bohemia is the western and central part of what is now the Czech Republic.
Bordered by Germany and Austria, the region is full of valleys and streams and is rich in mushrooms.
Mushrooms can be picked freely and, if dried, can be preserved.
Mushrooms have long been an important food source for the people of this region.

This dish, which uses mushrooms, appeared in a recipe book in 1846.
It became popular as a tasty dish that could be made with familiar ingredients and that would warm and strengthen the body.
It is one of the most popular mushroom dishes in the Czech Republic, and today there are as many recipes for it as there are chefs.

Others

In this case, I made this recipe from the official blog of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Japan and added spices to it.
I used spices for two reasons.
One is because I’ve found a few Czech recipes that use spices.
The other is that I have the impression that European soups and stews are a great match for spices.

This was my first time cooking and eating this dish.
I love mushrooms and dill, and I was very happy with it.
It’s creamy and thick, but the sourness is just right.

Until now, I had an image of the Czech Republic as “beer, Prague, and Bohemia glass”.
Now that I’ve had Kulajda, I can add mushrooms to these as well.
Because it was delicious anyway.

Recipe of Kulajda

Recipe from the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Japan with some adjustments.

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Course Soup / Stew

Cuisine Czech

Servings 3

Ingredients

No.1

25 g butter
1.5 tbsp flour
400 ml water

No.2

2 potatoes peeled / cut into 1.5cm cubes
200 g favorite mushroom
1 g allspice options
1 g cumin options

No.3

500 ml water
1 tsp salt
3 tsp vinegar
1 egg

No.4

Free salt
Free pepper
100 g sour cream
25 g butter
1 tsp wine vinegar
30 g dill cut into 1.5 cm pieces

Instructions

Put the butter in a pot. Melt it over low heat. Once melted, add the flour. Stir. When it starts to turn golden brown, add water a little at a time. Keep mixing. Once all the water is added, simmer over medium heat.
When it has cooked some, add the potatoes, mushrooms, allspice and cumin. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the poached eggs.
Put 500ml of water in a separate pot. Bring to the boil. Bring to the boil, then add the salt and vinegar. Reduce the heat to low. Make a whirlpool by stirring with a spoon. Put the egg in the center of the whirlpool. When the whites of the whirlpools have hardened, remove them. About 2 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to number 2 and season to taste. Add the sour cream. Stir. Add the butter. Stir. Adjust the salt and wine vinegar to taste. Then add dill and stir.
Serve on a plate. Top with poached eggs.
Finish.