The most popular dishes in Czech school canteens are sirloin sauce, cod fillet and fried schnitzel. Of the sweet dishes, pupils and students most often order ducat buns with vanilla cream, and vegetable broth with rice reigns supreme among soups.
New tastes and foods find their way into Czech schools and kindergartens only slowly. Classic cuisine and traditional dishes reign fearlessly in the dining rooms. This is shown by the results of a survey by Primirest, which in the Czech Republic provides catering for pupils and students for almost 240 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools.
“The convincing winner of the children’s hit parade was the ageless queen of Czech gastronomy – sirloin on cream,” says Primirest. The second place was taken by the fried cod fillet, and the third place was the fried chicken breast steak. The first five are rounded off by a pair of dishes with a rich sauce – Hamburg roast leg and spaghetti with Bolognese sauce.
Pupils also score points for sauces in the category of meatless lunches. Spaghetti Napolitana with tomato sauce, basil and garlic slices wins the poll, followed by dill sauce. Fried cauliflower is also a staple.
Tomáš Cikhart from Primirest explains the popularity of dishes that are more difficult to prepare by saying that Czechs prefer simplicity and speed when preparing food at home. On the other hand, they tend to indulge in classic sauces or fried foods when visiting their grandparents or on holidays.
“Therefore, on working days, they like to enjoy them in the company restaurant or they choose them for their children in the school canteen. It is the easiest way for them to get to these popular, but more labor-intensive foods,” estimated Cikhart.
Of the sweet dishes, ducat buns with vanilla cream are the most popular among schoolchildren. They were followed by noodles with poppy seeds and semolina porridge with cocoa and butter. Moreover, the popularity of buns is not limited to the youngest diners. In a recent survey, it turned out that even adults like them the most among sweet foods, according to Primirest.
Similar to the main meals, schoolchildren are also conservative when choosing soups. Most often, they have vegetable broth with rice, peas with croutons or a traditional handful. The popularity of soups changes depending on the region where the children live and the age of the diners. “If I had to add a staple that is loved by children of all ages, it’s the tomato with drippings,” Cikhart added to the statistics.
From snacks, children most often choose white or fruit yogurt desserts. Coated buns, wholemeal breads and rolls, as well as homemade termix and sweet curds are also very popular.
Primirest is the largest school catering provider in the Czech Republic. It provides food for 236 kindergartens, primary and secondary schools. It releases almost half a million portions in them every month.
