Soffa 27 / FOOD, English edition

design | fashion | people | travel | food | science

issue theme

FOOD

SOFFA: JOY FROM THE HEART OF EUROPE Discover the best and the most beautiful from Czechia and the rest of Central Europe: exquisite design, inspirational stories, unknown interiors and hidden gems well worth your visit.

ISSUE THEME: FOOD There are few things in life that nearly everyone loves and can’t do without. Food is one of them. In this issue we serve up engaging personalities from the world of gastronomy and ten recipes to tantalise your taste and other senses!

SOFFA PARTNERS Our work would not be possible without the support of our partners. Thank you!

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Welcome

THIS ISSUE IS DEDICATED TO

FOOD

The age-old saying ‘the way to a person’s heart is through the stomach’ may take on another dimension once you have read this issue – hopefully making you like us even more. Ten recipes from Czech and international chefs await your culinary prowess, recipes that will satisfy champions of superfoods and devotees of classic Czech cuisine. The requisite implements include a mixer, a blender, the traditional stove and an outdoor fire.

Aside from recipes, in Soffa 27 we aim to appeal to more than just your taste buds. In our interiors and travel sections we traverse Europe to show you a Tuscan vineyard managed by a British-Italian couple; open the doors on The Emerald, a new Prague hotel presented by a Frenchman; and explore the water world of German Brandenburg. We also meet Ondra Kopička – beekeeper, cider brewer and distiller – who claims there is no need to be afraid of bees as only the first two hundred stings hurt. Not to miss is our science feature on the human microbiome, where we explore the importance of bacteria in our digestive system. Our photoessay presents fashion in a complete symbiosis with scrumptious desserts made

by Cukrář Skála and will hopefully please even those who are not fans of sugar. But sugar-free enthusiasts will find something to savour in a traditional Czech spice cake by Janina Cukrfree, a delicious cake for any occasion sweetened only by the love of cooking. Bon appetite!

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Contents

Editorial And Then It Rained

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Interior Taste of Emerald

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Cookbooks Wiggle Your Nose...

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Creative People Communing With Fire

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Drink Coffee Anyone?

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Recipe Better Without Sugar

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Trends Milan Design Week 2018

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Fashion & Design Illuminated

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Superfoods Foods That Heal

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Travel Flood of History

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Science Bodily Planet

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Interview Two Hundred Stings

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Decor Reading Allowed

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Cars Hey Mercedes!

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Decor SoirĂŠe With a View

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Fashion Simply Delicious

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Utterly Czech Onion Heirloom

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Holiday Homes Tuscan Hideaway

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Editorial

1 . For a refreshingly strong, bitter taste, try Jarošovský ležák 12% and Jarošovský Jura 11%, both classic Czech lagers from the craft Jarošov Brewery. Unfiltered and unpasteurised. www.jarosovskypivovar.cz

AND THEN IT RAINED When planning this summer issue, at a time when much of Europe was experiencing a drought, we looked forward to warmer weather and outdoor photo shoots with lot of sun, and maybe even a tan. But as fate would have it, literally every photo shoot for this issue was shrouded in rain. For the three days we stayed in otherwise sunny Tuscany, rain pelleted the roof of the vineyard house featured in this magazine, and while shooting the story on Camp Fuego we were ambushed by hail. In spite of the ever-present deluge, I’m confident we have pulled together a compelling mix of stories to inspire and inform your lazy summer days.

Thankfully cooking can be done in any weather; all you need do is decide on the dish and get the right ingredients. Explore with us Italian cuisine, superfoods and Czech classics. I personally think that nothing beats my grandmother’s roast sirloin in sour cream sauce, even if a sugar-free cake is healthier and more sustainable. Whatever our preferences, we can’t forget Czech classics like hořické trubičky [wafer tubes filled with sweet cream] or olomoucké tvarůžky [very fragrant mature cheese], and our kitchen drawers will welcome mašlovačka [pastry brush traditionally made from goose feathers] and lívanečník [pancake griddle]. Previous generations had them, we value them, and our children are likely to embrace them. Finally, an issue about food would be nothing without recipes, and so we have plenty, all printed on environmentally friendly Biotop paper. Happy cooking and dobrou chuť!

Adéla Kudrnová | editor in chief

2 . The Lifestyle collection from the Czech porcelain producer G. Benedikt comes in a variety of delightful colours, including cream, turquoise, orange and blue. Porcelain plate, 95 Kč. www.eporcelan.cz 3 . To learn about the history of Olomoucké tvarůžky [strong mature cheese] and try your hand at cooking with the soft pungent delicacy, visit the site dedicated to this iconic cheese. www.tvaruzky.cz 4 . The Petráček family from Hořicko in the Krkonoše foothills has been making authentic Hořické trubičky [wafer tubes with sweet cream] for generations. Enjoy the family pack of cocoa-flavoured wafers, 105 Kč. www.horicke-trubicky.eu 5 . Our grandmothers were fans of enamelled pots and they knew well why. This lívanečník [pancake griddle] made from enamelled cast iron is a true historical replica, 1,830 Kč. www.ceskysmalt.cz 6 . Matěj produces walnut-wood chopping boards that will be the pride of your kitchen. With a striking wood-grain pattern, the beautifully crafted chopping board will last forever, 1,590 Kč. www.hnst.ly 7 . The earthenware red and blue sailor’s mug will lift your spirits all year round, not just in summer. The mug is turned by hand on a potter’s wheel and hand-decorated, 530 Kč. www.emamamisu.cz 8 . Goose feathers are perfect for brushing your cakes, puff pastries and dumplings with egg for a beautiful shine and colour.

Try them on a traditional pastry brush, 55 Kč. www.hnst.ly

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Interior

text: Helena Stiessová photo: Lina Németh styling: Janka Murínová

TASTE OF EMERALD

TRAVELLERS TO THE CZECH REPUBLIC SEEKING SOMETHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY WILL FIND A TREASURE HIDDEN BEHIND EMERALD GREEN DOORS. A HOUSE OF DREAMS LOCATED IN THE HEART OF PRAGUE WELCOMES WEARY VISITORS INTO ITS ARMS, OFFERING REJUVENATION AND INSPIRATION FOR UNCOVERING THE SECRETS OF THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY. THE EMERALD IS NOT A HOTEL, BUT A STYLE OF ACCOMMODATION THAT OFFERS ITS CLIENTS MUCH MORE THAN A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS. ENTER THROUGH THE EMERALD DOORS AND DISCOVER THE TASTE BEHIND ITS VARIED STYLES.

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tea bowls, www.teamountain.cz | wooden vases, www.zarahome.com

Interior

PREVIOUS PAGE: Impressions of small twigs adorn the walls of the rooms on the Basho floor, the soft light highlighting every curve and uneven surface. Beauty revels in imperfection.

LEFT: A monochrome palette helps to calm the mind. The moment you turn on the tap, the bedroom is transformed by the moving element of water. Close your eyes in the bath and allow yourself to be transported to a serene forest.

There is a growing assortment of accommodation options for today’s discerning traveller, options that aim to enhance the pleasant experience of travel. As of this May, visitors to Prague can stay in an Art Nouveau building with five expansive floors of captivating interiors, offering a mosaic of moods, tastes and dreams come true. The new accommodation includes thirteen apartments providing the ultimate in comfort and privacy, matched with a tailor-made concierge service. At The Emerald you won’t need to shuffle through an impersonal lobby in search of an attendant hidden behind a reception desk. A relaxed genius loci presides over the gem that is The Emerald.

Built in 1906, the former apartment building on Žatecká Street was spared the forcible subdivision that had marked so many similar buildings during the communist era. Indeed, a house of its vintage boasting an original floor plan is a minor miracle in Prague. Pierre Emmanuel Dionett was keenly aware of this as he walked through the building two years ago, and immediately the seed was planted for a new chapter in the annals of the remarkable house. Pierre and his company Urbanium Concept developed the idea to renovate the building for the purpose of providing short-term rentals and invited the Prague based architectural studio RicharDavidArchitekti to collaborate on refining the individual look of each room. The building’s original materials were their main inspiration – its structure, strength and authenticity. Gradually these brought to life the final designs, in which each floor of the building has its individual style and exudes a distinctive atmosphere.

The creative process evolved organically, always respectful of the building’s authentic features and of the era that gave the building its distinctive flavour. Plasterwork retains its original soft patina, ceiling cracks create striking patterns against gorgeous stucco, and the exposed brick on the fourth floor harks back to the early 1900s. Pierre – the soul and the moving force behind the project – has paid close attention to quality finishing in all the interiors, just as was done at the turn of the twentieth century, when beautiful works straddling the worlds of fine craft and art were created. In Pierre’s hands, the gem that is The Emerald has been polished to its beautifully refined form.

No matter how stunning, an interior comes alive only when filled with people. This was palpable during the first exhibition opening held at The Emerald before the accommodation officially opened. The opening

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THESE PAGES: The first floor of The Emerald invites visitors to dine at a large table. Guests can cook themselves or use the concierge service to hire a private chef. After all, a busy day exploring Prague will work up a hearty appetite!

frying pan, Eva Solo; cast iron pot, Staub; tea towel and table runner, George Jensen Damask; carafe, Peugeot; all www.kulina.cz | vase, www.hm.com | crockery, www.zarahome.com | vegetables, itesco.cz

THESE PAGES: The industrial charm of the Earthernel floor calls for nourishment in vivid colours.

A gaudy surface can reveal a surprisingly pleasant taste, just as a metal frame bed can be surprisingly comfortable. Nothing is as it seems on Earthernel.

vase, www.hm.com | cheese board, LSA, www.superstoredbk.cz | knife, www.dick.de | vegetables, www.itesco.cz

THIS PAGE: The idyll of a countryside retreat mixed with the aroma of freshly baked bread. Break it with your hands, as is done in fairy tales, and savour the first bite.

RIGHT: Promiscuous or chaste?

Standing next to a bed adorned with two curved headboards, this screen can be whatever you wish it to be. Its intricate ornamentation tells the tale of a hunt, but perhaps no one is listening ‌

matcha bowls and accessories, www.teamountain.cz | vase and candleholder, www.zarahome.com

Interior

LEFT: Sip tea slowly in the early morning hours and think about the upcoming day. The Basho floor invites you to abandon the common ritual of sleeping in on holidays. The slate table and muted wall fresco stimulate creativity and one’s respect for nature.

was centred on the third floor, named aptly Exposé, a floor that invites visitors to let their hair down and relax. The Exposé flats are connected with a colourful palette and display iconic accessories from the era of Czechoslovakia. Their walls also serve as an informal art gallery for promoting the work of young Czech artists. The first exhibition spotlighted the photographic work of Bet Orten with images taken of the building’s interiors.

All five floors were brimming with visitors on that evening, the sound of their feet echoing in the stairwell. Each floor opened to a different kind of world, a different kind of inspiration. Let’s follow in their footsteps.

The first floor, named Bon Monde, pays homage to nature and its mystique. Birds flutter silently along the wallpaper and rows of antler trophies recall the hunting lodge of the stately Artemis. The second floor, named after the Japanese poet Basho, elevates principles of nature to a spiritual bliss. Subtle colour tones provide the backdrop for mystery-filled murals on walls and wood panels, and every room exudes the transcendent power of the forest. With their silent energy, the interiors on the Basho floor stimulate the intellect and invite meditation. Exposé, the third floor, is a playful counterweight to the mysticism found below. Vivid colours contrast with white stucco and one of the bedrooms features a playful mural

by Tereza Ščerbová. On various shelves along the walls Czech-made accessories have found their rightful home.

When we climb to Earthernel – the fourth floor – we encounter mementos from the past. The rustic walls are a perfect backdrop for retro furnishings, including a bent metal settee made by the Czech company Slezákovy závody, and those who look closely will find the Onion Blue porcelain spotlighted in the Utterly Czech feature of this issue. The fifth and last floor is the real cherry on the cake. Without a hint of regret, its guests can transform into true hedonists, even if just for one night. This is the place that lures Muses to dip their toes in a decadent, enamelled bathtub.

From the fifth floor there is nowhere else to go but down again, towards the ground level. Along the way we are greeted by Art Nouveau beauties smiling almost imperceptibly above high doors, the last of which leads out to the city streets. But our feet don’t want to leave. The Emerald has cast its spell and we can’t wait for the next exhibition opening or public event. ■

Learn about The Emerald’s accommodation options and events at www.the-emerald-prague.com. If you have a project idea you would like to develop, join the Urbanium Concept at www.urbanium-concept.com.

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THESE PAGES: Tempted by Pan’s flute, allow yourself a bit of harmless decadence. Cake in bed? Yes, please! If you prefer to enjoy your cake with coffee at a table, the Exposé floor has a pleasant kitchen with a comfortable dining area.

cake stand, www.superstoredbk.cz | snow kisses, www.bakeshop.cz | tiramisu, macaroons, www.itesco.cz

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Cookbooks

text: Hana Janišová photo: publishers’ archives

WIGGLE YOUR NOSE…

…AND THE TABLE IS SET, BUT ONLY ON THE AMERICAN TV CLASSIC BEWITCHED. THE REST OF US HAVE TO SPEND TIME AND USE OUR HANDS TO PREPARE OUR FOOD. THANKFULLY THE SELECTION OF COOKBOOKS ON BOOKSTORE SHELVES IS TRULY LIMITLESS AND OFFERS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES WE PRESENT SIX OF OUR FAVOURITES – TRIED AND TESTED CLASSICS NEXT TO THE HOTTEST NEW TRENDS IN THE WORLD OF COOKING INSTRUCTION.

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Wiggle Your Nose…

MINIMALIST 4×7 Can a cookbook look like an exhibition catalogue? The new cookbook 4 × 7 with recipes for seven soups, seven vegetarian meals, seven meat dishes and seven desserts is resounding proof that it can. Written in the infinitive

by Kristina Netíková, owner of Prague’s Bistro No. 19, the cookbook is prefaced with these telling words: ‘Cook! If you don’t enjoy it, then don’t!

Ingredients matter! Seasonal, local, preferably home-made!

What you put in your food will determine its taste…’.

The cookbook is accompanied by surrealist photographs by Michaela Karásek Čejková, whose images are frequently featured in Soffa, and its minimalist graphic design is the work of Zuzana Lednická.

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TRADITIONAL Domácí kuchařka [Cookbook for the Home] Thanks to Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová and her Domácí kuchařka, first published in 1826, the Czech language was introduced to households where German was normally spoken. The author used a rich array of ingredients, some of which you would be hard-pressed to find today (skylarks, thrushes and local crayfish), and others that are slowly returning (artichokes, asparagus and sweetbread). With more than 1,000 recipes, the cookbook is relevant even two centuries later, and includes helpful tips on putting together a menu, storing foodstuffs and handling minor mishaps.

The 2016 edition published by Ikar includes practical conversion tables and a glossary of terms.

EXPRESSIVE Ottolenghi Simple The UK-based Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi, who loves fried cauliflower just as much as a typical Czech, is set to publish a new cookbook this autumn – and we can’t wait!

Ottolenghi Simple promises 130 recipes for deliciously simple meals packed with Middle Eastern flavours. Each recipe can be made in a single pot within 30 minutes and with 10 or fewer ingredients that are likely to be found in your kitchen pantry. If you love colourful and varied vegetable dishes, distinctive Middle Eastern flavours, pomegranates and eggplant in all possible forms, then get ready for Yotam’s upcoming book by trying his earlier cooking guides Plenty and Jerusalem.

You won’t be disappointed!

Cookbooks

VEGAN Savour Amber Locke (@rawveganblonde) loves vegetables and fruit and uses them to create stunning compositions and delicious recipes. In 2016 Amber published a salad cookbook called Nourish and a year later she followed it with Savour, a cookbook dedicated entirely to soups. The cookbook serves up more than a hundred recipes for broths and clear and creamy soups including tips for extra toppings to give your soups an interesting twist. How about a spicy watermelon gazpacho, a velvety beetroot soup, a creamy soup from purple potatoes, or a vibrant pineapple soup? In Savour, Amber shows us that soups can be part of our diet the whole year round.

CLASSIC Klenoty klasické evropské kuchyně [Jewels of Classic European Cuisine] Chef and cooking champion Roman Vaněk follows on his popular Poklady klasické české kuchyně [Treasures of Classic Czech Cuisine] with a cookbook that focuses on European classics. The nearly two hundred recipes found in Klenoty klasické evropské kuchyně will please expert cooks as well as novices, who will appreciate the step-bystep instructions complemented with photographs.

The cookbook shares interesting information about the history of different foods and a number of kitchen tricks.

If our mothers used Kuchařka naší vesnice [Our Village Cookbook] as their introduction to the kitchen domain, Vaněk’s Jewels and Treasures can be ours.

SLOW LIVING Gastrokroužek [Gastronomy Circle] This past spring social networks were abuzz with anticipation of a cookbook created by the collective known as Gastrokroužek. The collective includes the bloggers Markéta Pavleje @kitchenettehome and Jiří a Marika Kuča @blogkitchenstory, the nutritionist and gourmet Jana Králiková @zasadnezdrave, the former editor in chief of a food magazine Darina Křivánková, and Lukáš Hejlík, a man wearing many professional hats.

The collective met regularly, cooked, invited friends into its midst (like the chef Přemek Forejt), and somehow managed to create a cookbook.

If you want to meet with friends around food, try it with Gastrokroužek.

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No. 1 ROASTED TOMATO & CHICKPEA SOUP

SERVINGS: 2–4 WHAT YOU NEED: 1 kg ripe tomatoes, halved 450 g cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) 4 sprigs of fresh oregano, pick the leaves 1 teaspoon paprika 6 garlic cloves, crushed with the side of a knife 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil sea salt plain yoghurt and a few oregano leaves for garnish text: editorial team, David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl photo: Johanna Frenkel gkstories

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DAVID FRENKIEL AND LUISE VINDAHL OF THE GREEN KITCHEN STORIES BLOG ARE THE CURRENT STARS OF THE MODERN VEGETARIAN KITCHEN. IN THEIR COOKBOOK THE GREEN KITCHEN, THEY PRESENT MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED SWEET AND SAVOURY RECIPES COMBINING EVERYDAY KITCHEN INGREDIENTS WITH FRESH, SEASONAL OFFERINGS. HERE WE SHARE THEIR DELICIOUS SOUP MADE FROM BAKED TOMATOES, WHICH YOU CAN EASILY TAKE TO WORK AS A LIGHT LUNCH. METHOD: Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Place the tomatoes, chickpeas, oregano, paprika and garlic on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, place in the oven and bake for about an hour, or until the tomatoes are slightly blackened in places and bubbling. Remove from the oven, save a few chickpeas for garnish, scrape all remaining ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add a little water if needed. Serve in bowls or glasses with a dollop of yoghurt, fresh oregano leaves and a few roasted chickpeas on top. Especially delicious when served with a slice of sourdough bread.

For more great recipes visit www.greenkitchenstories.com.

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Creative People

text: Helena Stiessová photo: Lina Németh and Marek Pavala

COMMUNING WITH FIRE

THE PLEASANT CRACKLE OF A CAMPFIRE ACCOMPANIES THE MELODY OF A SONG BIRD FLEXING ITS VOCAL CORDS. ABOVE NOTHING BUT OPEN SKY AND ALL AROUND AMPLE FRESH AIR – PERFECT FOR WORKING UP A GOOD APPETITE. IN A SECRET FOREST CLEARING IN THE HEART OF EUROPE, AN UNFORGETTABLE COOKING COURSE IS ABOUT TO BEGIN.

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Creative People

LEFT: Cooking in nature is not about taking all of your kitchen essentials and giving them an airing. Simplicity is the order of the day. All you need is a good knife, a pot and a kitchen towel.

A beautifully arranged table awaits in the large tent, a fire crackles happily nearby, the rest is up to you. Cooking is done under the instruction of Marek Pavala.

Czechs like to get out into nature. Some go to their weekend cottage, some for a bike ride out of town, and for others sleeping under the stars is a natural way of life. The outdoors are peaceful, calming for the soul and they sharpen our senses: colours become more vivid, scents more fragrant and even a simple grilled sausage becomes a delicacy. When was the last time you saw the inside of a tent? When did you last gaze into smouldering cinders, fully aware of the infinite space above?

In the summer of 2017 Marek Pavala and Renáta Muchová went in search of their own peace and quiet. The trip itself was quite ordinary, but since Marek is a professional chef, there was more on the menu than simple sausages. Marek’s offerings to the campfire included ingredients that normally grace the tables of the finest of restaurants, and then there was the decisive ingredient – the power of the moment. The open fire stood in sharp contrast to gas and electric burners and imbued the meal with a taste of authenticity. Cooking in the open so enchanted the young couple that an ordinary trip turned into a culinary adventure larger than they could have imagined. When friends and acquaintances learnt of the experience, everyone wanted to try Mark’s wilderness creations. And so Fuego was born, a novel idea for learning to cook in the wild.

The first official Camp Fuego premiered this May to great aplomb when campers rolled up their sleeves to cook up a five-course meal. The sun was setting as dinner was being served, and in the morning it greeted the campers against the backdrop of a clear blue sky. Staying overnight is not required, but who would miss a star-filled night served with an excellent vintage? There is no need to worry about ants or rain spoiling the idyll – the fire pit is surrounded by a big tent and a ‘chill zone’, both furnished with oriental carpets and covered with weather-proof material. We tried the main tent for our photo shoot and can vouch that it will easily stand up to the foulest of weather. And even if it does rain, the area becomes so wonderfully fragrant that no one wants to leave.

Camp Fuego is located close to Prague in the bucolic area near Kokořín Castle – an ideal place for getting out into nature and cooking in the open.

The feast that concludes the cooking course is the product of collective effort, shared experiences, new friendships or unusual teambuilding.

Fuego offers something for everyone, including a good dose of inspiration born out of pure passion. It’s something that Marek and Renáta live and breathe, and it awaits in a small clearing next to a crackling fire. ■

Sign up for a Fuego cooking course at www.campfuego.cz .

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Fire-roasted beetroot salad? The best you will ever try! Baked beetroot retains its ruby red colour and pleasant consis­ tency. The scent of the fire lends the salad a little bit of spice and roasted walnuts add a delightful crunch.

Mark’s octopus with chorizo and charred capsicum was a real hit.

Preparation of the meat is key – roasting is the last step, making the octopus crisp and zesty.

No. 2 OCTOPUS À LA FUEGO

MAREK PAVALA, FOUNDER OF THE EXPERIENTIAL COOKING SCHOOL CAMP FUEGO, TREATED US TO OCTOPUS WITH ROASTED CAPSICUM AND PEPPERY CHORIZO PREPARED ON A CAMPFIRE.

METHOD: Put water in a large camping kettle and place it over a fire. Cut the fennel, carrot and onion in half and place them into the water. Add the parsley, wine, allspice, bay leaf, black pepper and the juice of one orange.

While you wait for the broth to come to a boil, prepare the capsicums.

Coat the skins of the capsicums liberally in olive oil and set them to roast on a grill plate over the embers. Let most of the skin turn black – it will peel off easily this way. When cooled, peel the capsicums, discard the seeds and the water they have released, then cut the remaining flesh into long strips and toss them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add a few drops of wine vinegar.

Hold the octopus by its head and submerge the tentacles into the boiling broth for 30 seconds. This will help to soften the meat. Bring the broth back to a boil, place the whole octopus in it, and cook over a very low heat until soft. Depending on the size of the octopus, this may take up to 5 hours. Check the octopus regularly by piercing it with a knife – it should easily slice through the hard top layer of the tentacle.

When the octopus is ready, remove it from the kettle and portion it into individual tentacles. In a cast iron pan fry a handful of sliced chorizo and after one minute add one of the tentacles. Fry it on each side for about a minute until the skin is nice and crunchy. Then repeat with the rest of the tentacles.

Finally, toss some chopped mint into the capsicum salad and serve it with the octopus and chorizo.

Marek’s tip: Freezing the octopus in advance helps to make the meat tender.

Remove the octopus from the freezer 1–2 days before cooking and let it thaw slowly in your refrigerator or cooler, if you are planning to cook in nature.

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SERVINGS: 8 WHAT YOU NEED: 1 fennel 1 carrot 1 onion bunch of leaf parsley 300 ml white wine allspice bay leaf whole black pepper 1 orange 2 yellow capsicums 2 red capsicums 2 orange capsicums extra virgin olive oil red wine vinegar 1 large octopus chorizo mint sea salt ground pepper text: editorial team, Marek Pavala photo: Lina Németh fuegocz

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Drink

partner for the article: Dallmayr text: Hana Švolbová illustration: Klára Wantulová photo: company archive

COFFEE ANYONE?

MANY OF US CAN’T IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT A CUP OF HOT, DARK, FRAGRANT COFFEE. SOME CAN’T WAKE UP WITHOUT IT, OTHERS CONSIDER IT AN ESSENTIAL PUNCTUATION TO A PLEASANT LUNCH, AND THEN THERE ARE THOSE WHO ENJOY A CUP BEFORE GOING TO BED. ONE CAN DEBATE FOR HOURS OVER THE BEST METHOD OF COFFEE PREPARATION WITHOUT EVER REACHING A CONCLUSION. CZECHS ARE BEGINNING TO FIND THEIR WAY TO QUALITY COFFEE AND THE VARYING METHODS OF BREWING, AIDED SINCE 2001 BY DALLMAYR, THE WORLD-RENOWNED COFFEE COMPANY WITH A 300-YEAR-OLD TRADITION.

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French Press For a fully developed aroma, reach for coarsely ground coffee and a French press.

Pour hot water over the coffee, wait a while, and press down on the plunger. Try Dallmayr French Press Selection or the sustainably grown rare coffee varieties.

Filtered Coffee When coffee is made with a filter, grounds stay saturated with water over a longer period, giving coffee plenty of time to develop its unique aroma. The Dallmayr Prodomo range is well suited for this type of coffee preparation.

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Drink

Brewing quality coffee from grounds grown all over the world has become very popular, and our kitchens have welcomed the Italian percolator, the Turkish coffee pot cezve, the French press, the filter coffee maker and the capsule coffee machine. At work we cannot manage without a good coffee machine and cafés have begun to offer the widest assortment of coffees prepared in all manner of ways. And Dallmayr has been there to meet every need. Established in 1700 as a delicatessen, Dallmayr developed a special department dedicated to coffee in the 1930s. Today, the selection and quality of the coffee sold by Dallmayr makes it one of the best coffee purveyors in the world. The company is enjoying a firm footing in the Czech market, offering a wide range of products for households and companies alike, and providing vending machines as well as coffee catering at important social and diplomatic events.

Dallmayr offers a wide range of coffees for at-home brewing, with roast types and coffee grind sizes suitable for all brewing methods – from percolators to French presses and everything in between. If you are not an experienced barista able to conjure different styles of coffee, but you would still like to enjoy a good espresso, cappuccino or latte at home, you may already know the magic of coffee capsules. Measured coffee in capsules coupled with a suitable machine represents a practical and economical solution for households and offices. And because coffee needs are often immediate, Dallmayr also responds with a range of coffee vending machines.

For companies that like to treat their clients to a nice cup of coffee, Dallmayr has developed Cafédock, an innovative solution for coffee preparation in a busy office setting. Designed by René Sion, the manager of Dallmayr’s Czech branch, Cafédock is suitable for everyday office needs, showrooms and other places where clients are regularly hosted. The ergonomic, stylish coffee station on wheels has all that is needed to make a good cup of coffee – quality water and grounds, a coffee maker, juice selection and even real cups and saucers. A mobile, fully equipped café, wanting nothing more than a smiling barista. ■

To learn more about Dallmayr visit www.dallmayr.cz .

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Percolator In a percolator, water is forced by pressure from the bottom reservoir to the top through a sieve filled with coffee grounds. Percolators call for finely ground, Italian-style coffee, such as Dallmayr Espresso Monaco.

Cafédock Ergonomic, stylish and mobile – the perfect solution for making coffee in a company setting. Cafédock is a coffee refreshment station with water, coffee maker, juice, glasses and coffee cups. Plug it in and start your brewing.

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Recipe

text: Hana Janišová and Janina Černá styling and photo: Janina Černá

BETTER WITHOUT SUGAR

JANINA ČERNÁ HAS HELPED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE EMBRACE A LOW-SUGAR DIET, EVEN IF HER OWN JOURNEY TOWARDS SUGAR-FREE EATING WAS NOT AN EASY ONE. HER SECOND ‘SUGAR-FREE COOKBOOK’ – CUKRFREE KUCHAŘKA PRO MALÉ I VELKÉ – WRITTEN IN COLLABORATION WITH JANA DELL PLOTNÁRKOVÁ, WAS RELEASED THIS MAY BY SEVRUGA, THE PUBLISHING COMPANY OF THE CZECH CELEBRITY CHEF ZDENĚK POHLREICH. FULL OF TIPS FOR HEALTHY EATING, THE COOKBOOK INCLUDES 120 MINIMAL SUGAR RECIPES, ALL NATURALLY GLUTEN-FREE AND MANY ALSO LACTOSE-FREE.

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Recipe

PERNÍK WITH CHOCOLATE GLAZE AND GRATED COCONUT SERVINGS: 16 WHAT YOU NEED: 4 eggs 1 cup of almond butter 1 teaspoon of grated rind from an organic lemon 2 teaspoons of perník spice* 1 teaspoon of baking soda for the glaze 85 g of dark chocolate (high % cacao content) 1 tablespoon of coconut oil for decoration grated organic coconut * perník is a spice mix of cinnamon, allspice, cloves, anise, fennel, cardamom, coriander and nutmeg; buy it ready from a purveyor of Czech goods or make your own cukrfree.cz

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PERNÍK, THE UBIQUITOUS CZECH SPICE CAKE, IS A REWARDING DESSERT. EASY ENOUGH FOR A BEGINNER TO MAKE WITH READILY AVAILABLE INGREDIENTS, IT CAN BE PREPARED SEVERAL DAYS IN ADVANCE AND DECORATED WITH WILD FANCY. MADE IN A SQUARE TIN, PERNÍK IS AN ANY-DAY DESSERT TO SERVE WITH COFFEE OR TEA, BUT BAKED IN A ROUND FORM AND DECORATED WITH CHOCOLATE, IT WILL SPICE UP ANY SPECIAL OCCASION – ESPECIALLY IF MADE WITH A LAYER OF JAM IN THE MIDDLE, PREFERABLY WITH NO ADDED SUGAR. METHOD: Preheat the oven to 170 °C. Mix the eggs and almond butter in a mixer until smooth. Add the lemon rind, cake spice and baking soda, and mix well. Line a 20 cm round form with baking paper and fold the batter into the form. Place into preheated oven and bake for 25−30 minutes. Use a wooden skewer to test whether the cake is fully baked. Allow the cake to cool. For the final step, melt the chocolate in a hot water bath, add one tablespoon of coconut oil and mix well. Glaze the top of the cake with the melted chocolate, sprinkle with grated coconut and serve. Keep for up to five days in a closed container in the refrigerator.

Order your signed copy of Cukrfree kuchařka pro malé i velké at www.zdenekpohlreich.cz and www.cukrfree.cz.

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Trends

MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2018

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THIS APRIL WE ONCE AGAIN HEADED TO PULSING MILAN TO REPORT ON THE HOTTEST TRENDS IN THE WORLD OF INTERIOR DESIGN. IN A NUTSHELL: RED IN ALL SHADES IS THE COLOUR OF CHOICE, COMPLEMENTED BY OTHER JUICY TONES; FURNITURE AND ACCESSORIES PLAY WITH ANIMAL MOTIFS; AND SUSTAINABILITY IS THE MOTTO OF THE DAY EXPRESSED IN FURNITURE MADE FROM RECYCLED MATERIALS. 1 · Montana Free Freestanding Shelving System, www.montana.dk | 2 · Hana Armchair Wing back, www.moooi.com | 3 · Bulb Wall Hooks, www.schoenbuch.com | 4 · Giravolta Table Lamp, www.pedrali.it | 5 · Tribù Swazi Carpet, www.cc-tapis.com | 6 · Mini Crescent Chandelier – x 3, www.leebroom.com | 7 · Super Round Rug, www.cc-tapis.com | 8 · Outer Space Monsters, www.milanlasvit.com | 9 · Tonella Stool, www.sancal.com | 10 · Alwa Side Table III, www.pulpoproducts.com | 11 · Périmètre Vases, www.hermes.com | 12 · September Rug, www.kvadrat.dk

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Trends

text and styling: Adéla Kudrnová

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partner for the article: Bomma text and fashion styling: Patrik Florián set styling: Janka Murínová photo: Lina Németh and Adéla Havelková make-up: Filip Novák / Douglas models: Olga Plojhar Bursíková and Tereza Fleková / Pure Model Management Olga: dress, coat, earrings, ring, choker and necklace, all Dior Lights: Umbra collection, design Dechem studio, Bomma

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LLUMINATE

Fashion & Design

LIGHT – FLOWING PHOTONS THAT SHAPE OUR PERCEPTION OF REALITY, MOVEMENT, EMOTIONS, EVEN OUR APPETITE. OUR PHOTOGRAPHIC ESSAY PROMISES TO TANTALISE YOUR TASTE BUDS WITH DELICATE FASHION ILLUMINATED BY GORGEOUS LIGHT FIXTURES OF EXQUISITE SHAPES AND COLOURS. MANY AMONG US ARE SATIATED BY THE MERE SIGHT OF A PERFECT DRESS, A SPARKLING JEWEL, A DESIGNER OBJECT OR A LUXURY INTERIOR, AND SOME WILL EVEN GO WITHOUT FOOD TO ATTAIN THEM. ALLOW YOURSELF TO SAVOUR EACH DELECTABLE MORSEL.

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Fashion & Design

Olga: dress, Dolce & Gabbana | shoes, self-portrait; Space Prague | hat, Ruslan Baginskiy; Symbols Tereza: top, Cos | skirt and tights, both Chatty | shoes, Fendi | Twilly scarf, Hermès | earrings, Peet Dullaert; Symbols Lights: Tim collection, design Olgoj Chorchoj, Bomma

For thousands of years people have been trying to master light in order to overcome darkness, led by fears of the unknown and the need to work and socialise beyond sunset. From the first spark of light created by friction, humanity has advanced to today’s highly sophisticated lighting technologies. An example of such sophistication is Bomma, the Czech manufacturer of handmade light fixtures. The company was created in 2012 from the desire to meld the world-renowned tradition of Czech glassmaking with modern technology and distinctive design. With its embrace of collaborative design, strong focus on quality and great courage to innovate, Bomma has honoured one of the most archetypal of Czech crafts and with each new collection it has pushed the boundaries of possibility.

On the following pages we present a visual feast of Bomma’s current collections designed in collaboration with elite Czech designers. Dechem studio – alias Michaela Tomišková and Jakub Janďourek – has breathed form and colour into several of Bomma’s product lines. Plato used the term ‘phenomenon’ to describe an ephemeral, perfect form, and it is this that defines Dechem’s Phenomena collection of round crystal lights in transient colours. Phenomena lights share key elements with the Umbra collection, also designed by Dechem. Named for the Latin term for shadow, Umbra features crystal balls that cast a shadow of the same shape as the mirror that hangs above. And in the Dark & Bright Star collection, Dechem studio was inspired by the visions of a star-studded night sky.

Cosmic objects also inspired the Orbital collection from Studio deForm’s Jakub Pollág and Václav Mlynář, Bomma’s Art Directors. The collection features glass orbits of colourful cosmic bodies with hypnotically glowing cores. The past was the muse for the timeless collection of lamps and hanging lights named Lantern by the designer duo Wielgus & Plecháč.

At first glance almost invisible, Lantern lights are bewitching in their detail. The bubbly Soap collection by the designer Oto Svoboda presents exquisitely the alchemy of glass blowing, so very typical for Czech glassmaking. Soap lights are created by blowing free-form, making each bubble an original. Finally, true mastery of glassmaking is exemplified in the monumental collection named Tim. The sheer size and weight of the designs created by studio Olgoj Chorchoj challenge the limits of possibility. As do all of the designers and master glassmakers who work with Bomma, showing the world they have yet to have the final word. ■

We thank the President Hotel and the Elements Restaurants for providing the locations for this photoessay.

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Tereza: jacket and skirt, both Fendi Light: Soap collection, design Ota Svoboda, Bomma

Lights: Phenomena collection, design Dechem studio, Bomma

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Fashion & Design

Olga: coat, dress, necklace and ring, all Dior Lights: Lantern collection, design Wielgus & PlechĂĄÄ?, Bomma

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Fashion & Design

Olga: skirt, shoes, socks, all Fendi RIGHT: Tereza: dress, scarf, earrings and bracelets, all Hermès

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Fashion & Design

Tereza: jacket, skirt, sunglasses, bag, socks and shoes, all Fendi LEFT: Lights: Orbital collection, design Studio deForm, Bomma

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Fashion & Design

Tereza: jacket, trousers and belt, all Brunello Cucinelli | Twilly scarf and shoes, both Hermès | earrings, Cos

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Olga: top and belt, both Chatty | skirt, Brunello Cucinelli | earrings and ring, all Dior

Fashion & Design

Olga: jacket and skirt, both Fendi RIGHT: Tereza: underwear, Tereza Vu | pyjamas, Sleeper; Symbols Lights: Dark & Bright Star collection, design Dechem studio, Bomma 64

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Superfoods

partner for the article: Haenke text: Julien Antih photo: Adéla Havelková styling: Janka Murínová

FOODS THAT HEAL ‘LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE AND MEDICINE BE THY FOOD,’ PROCLAIMED HIPPOCRATES, THE ‘FATHER’ OF MEDICINE, SOME 2,500 YEARS AGO. IN THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF OUR BUSY MODERN LIVES THIS IS NOW TRUE MORE THAN EVER BEFORE, AS EATING WELL AND WISELY IS A KEY DETERMINANT OF OUR PHYSICAL WELLBEING AND GENERAL STATE OF MIND. STUDIES OF ACTIVE INGREDIENTS DERIVED FROM PLANTS HAVE SHOWN THAT SOME FOODS PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS IN REDUCING THE RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASES, OPTIMISING OUR GENERAL WELLBEING AND DECREASING THE COST OF HEALTHCARE IN GENERAL. THESE ARE CALLED FUNCTIONAL FOODS OR ‘SUPERFOODS’.

ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES WE GET TO KNOW FOUR OF THEM.

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TURMERIC Curcuma longa

Highly revered in India’s 5,000 yearold system of Ayurvedic medicine, turmeric has been traditionally used for treating respiratory conditions including asthma and allergies, as well as liver disorders and rheumatism. What makes turmeric so useful to medicine? Turmeric possesses curcumin, a chemical with powerful antioxidant and anti-inammatory properties. Curcumin reduces oxidation and inflammation, lowering the risk and symptoms of degenerative disorders such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and diabetes. So go ahead and colour your food yellow!

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ALMONDS Prunus dulcis

Almonds (and nuts in general) contain Omega 3 fatty acids that protect the heart by optimising heart rhythm and decreasing the chance of a heart attack. One of the richest sources of vitamin E known to us, almonds help prevent oxidation of fats in our bloodstream and thus reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. In addition, almonds contain plant sterols, hormone-like substances that help lower bad cholesterol. Almond butter anyone?

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COCOA

Theobroma cacao The cocoa plant has its origins in Mexico, and so we can thank the Aztecs for its name – derived from cacahuatl. Cocoa is a wonderful source of polyphenols, chemicals that help reduce the oxidation of bad cholesterol, a major factor in the occurrence of heart attack and stroke. Additionally, cocoa (and by definition chocolate) is rich in substances that enhance the production of feel-good chemicals in our brain, making cocoa an effective antidepressant and mood lifter.

Eating good-quality chocolate really does help make your life better!

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BLUEBERRIES Vaccinium myrtillus

Rich in Vitamin C and fibre (one cup provides for 14% of the recommended daily dose), blueberries are also a great source of manganese, which plays an important role in bone formation. They are also very high in potent blue pigments called anthocyanins, one of the most powerful antioxidants in nature. Anthocyanins have proven anti-inflammatory properties, aiding in the prevention of high blood pressure and hypertension. For your next breakfast, fix yourself a bowl of yoghurt and muesli with blueberries and your entire body will thank you.

We thank the City of Prague Botanical Garden, Boracao Chocolate, Virunga.cz and Sklizeno for their collaboration on this article.

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www.ton.eu

chips lounge chair designed by Lucie Koldova CZ

Travel

partner for the article: The German National Tourist Board text: Patrik Florián photo: Teru Menclová

FLOOD OF HISTORY

AFTER A GREAT MEAL IT’S GOOD TO GET OUT. WHERE TO? ONCE AGAIN IN OUR TRAVEL FEATURE WE HEAD TO NEIGHBOURING GERMANY. IF YOU THINK YOU KNOW GERMANY WELL AND THERE IS LITTLE TO SURPRISE YOU, THINK AGAIN – OUR NEIGHBOUR HAS MORE TO OFFER THAN FAMOUS MOUNTAINS, CASTLES AND CHATEAUS, INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIRS, WORLD-RENOWNED BEER WITH BRATWURST, AND BIG CITIES PULSING WITH CULTURE. LESS THAN A HUNDRED KILOMETRES FROM CZECHIA’S NORTHERNMOST POINT LIES THE BRANDENBURG REGION, BRIMMING WITH DELICIOUS CUISINE, BEAUTIFUL NATURE, STUNNING LAKES, BOUNDLESS SPORTING OPPORTUNITIES AND UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES.

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Travel

PREVIOUS PAGE: Staying in tree houses at Lake Senftenberg is a real adventure. You can also hire a boat, a paddleboard or a sailboard, and explore the lake and the area around its island.

Beware, however, as entry onto the island is forbidden.

LEFT: One of the youngest lakes is Lake Großräschen. The lake shore features a modernist promenade with a look-out, vineyards and a brand new harbour awaiting its first docking ships.

Brandenburg, a low-lying area interwoven with rivers and lakes, lies in north-eastern Germany near the country’s border with Poland. At almost 30,000 square kilometres, it is the fifth largest state in Germany. Although the map suggests that Berlin is part of Brandenburg, Germany’s capital city separated from the surrounding state in 1881. In 1995 the German government tried to reunite the city and the state, but the local referendum did not concur. The history of Brandenburg and its people goes back to the Middle Ages, when the region was part of greater Germania.

From 1373 to 1415 – a period of some forty years – Brandenburg belonged to the Lands of the Bohemian Crown, and the House of Luxembourg with the Czech King Charles IV at the helm left their mark on the area. During the communist era Brandenburg lost its statehood status and was incorporated into several districts within East Germany, but this was reversed in the early 1990s following Germany’s reunification. It is hardly surprising that this rich history has left an imprint on the state’s historical cities, medieval castles and enchanting chateaus.

Some of the area’s most famous tourist destinations boasting world heritage prominence are Brandenburg’s capital Potsdam and the city of Cottbus in the history-rich Lower Lusatia region. The historical towns of Rheinsberg, Brandenburg an der Havel and Gransee are also well worth a visit. Although very popular, these traditional tourist destinations did not make it onto our itinerary.

Our journey steered us first to the city of Senftenberg in the remarkable Lusatian Lake District, about a two-hour drive from Prague. Since the second half of the nineteenth century this area has been highly prized for its vast resources of lignite coal, of which two billion tons have been extracted over the years. It is not difficult to imagine what the massive mining effort did to the previously pristine landscape. Although mining continues in some places, the vast majority of the region has been undergoing a very successful revitalisation programme since the 1970s, which by the end of this year will have seen the creation of the largest artificial lake region in all of Europe. The lakes fit so well into the landscape that it is hard to believe they had not been there for centuries, and that today’s green oasis resembled a devastated moonscape just a few years ago.

The first beach area opened on the shores of Lake Senftenberg in 1973, and its excellent water quality has made it a perfect place for water sports as well as fishing and diving. The lake is fringed with seven kilometres of beaches and a bicycle path, and it boasts an island – all places favoured by families with children. The town of Senftenberg is very welcoming, and

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Travel

THIS PAGE: With over twenty artificial lakes, the district will soon become the largest lake area in Europe. Connecting canals will improve logistics between the lakes and offer opportunities for multi-day boating excursions.

RIGHT: The Rusty Nail is a thirtymetre tall lookout tower found between Lake Geierswald and Lake Sedlitz. The tower offers wonderful views of the beautifully revitalised Lusatian landscape, and its striking design recalls the history of brown coal mining in the region.

NEXT SPREAD: Tree tops rising from the depth of Lake GroĂ&#x;räschen tell of the fast pace of the flooding process, which began in 2007 and should be completed soon. Trees and other vegetation will have to be removed from the lakebed so boats can travel safely from the newly built harbour to the open water.

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Travel

THESE PAGES: The glassmaking village of Baruther Glashütte feels like the setting for a fairy tale. In small brick houses artisans create glass, ceramics and other handicrafts. The quaint village has a small art gallery, a museum, a cosy café and even a family-run garden shop.

NEXT SPREAD: Brandenburg is charming in any weather. Shrouded in mist, nature areas that only a few years ago resembled a ravaged moonscape beckon for a hardy walk. If you are not a fan of rainy weather, opt for an excursion to a castle, a chateau or one of the many historical city centres that reflect the region’s rich history.

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Travel

LEFT AND NEXT SPREAD: The Lower Fläming region and the Baruth glacial valley have been interwoven by more than 230 kilometres of quality, 2–3 metre wide trails favoured by cyclists and inline skaters alike. The Flaeming-Skate trail network is found in the vicinity of charming towns and farm settlements, where you can refuel in local restaurants and pubs after your sporting exertion. We had the pleasure of discovering the town of Jüterbog, where we were treated royally in the family-run tapas bar named Nikolaibar.

as soon as we sat down to our first breakfast overlooking one of the largest artificial lakes in Germany, we knew we were in the right place to relax.

The fresh breeze dissipated all our worries and feeling carefree, we set off for a walk towards the town’s harbour. Built in 2013 from a design by the German architectural studio Astoc, the harbour is destined to be the future hub of the lake region. It exudes a pleasant Nordic atmosphere, and its restaurants, shops and bike and boat rental places cater to locals just as well as to tourists. We hired bicycles and in a few minutes reached the neighbouring Lake Geierswald, which was linked to Lake Senftenberg by a canal in 2013. A future plan envisions interconnecting all the lakes by thirteen navigable canals, which will improve the overall logistics of the region and bring new opportunities for enjoying this wonderful water world.

Between Lakes Geierswald and Sedlitz stands a striking thirty-metre lookout tower known as the Rusty Nail. Built from rusting steel, the tower evokes the region’s mining past, its sculptural staircase a celebration of human achievement and of the future. If feeling hungry after a bike ride or a long walk, be sure to visit the hotel and restaurant Leuchtturm.

The red and white lighthouse offers stylish accommodation and a wide selection of local specialities, including Pellkartoffeln mit Quark – potatoes boiled in their skin and served with quark. Another ‘must’ for foodies is the Senftenberg restaurant and cooking school known as Die Drogerie.

Named for the pharmacy that was originally on its site, Die Drogerie features an exquisite interior inclusive of a wine cellar. The cooking school employs two chefs who create excellent seasonal dishes from quality ingredients, and they host cooking workshops and other culinary events.

The last lake on our tour through the lake region was Lake Großräschen, formerly known as Ilsesee. You won’t find any fish or boats on the lake, as the water has not yet reached the desired depth or correct pH level. What you can enjoy here is the unfolding process of creating a lake, with the tips of trees above the water line hinting at areas that were dry land just a year ago. At the edge of the lake stands the Seehotel [Lake Hotel]. Years ago it served as housing for unmarried miners, but today it offers lovely accommodation, a restaurant and even a small art gallery. Above the lake stretches a 270-metre long, concrete promenade built as part of the International Building Exhibition project. Its open terraces above a small vineyard include an exhibition centre and a café, and end with a lookout bridge designed with a nod to the region’s industrial past.

From the lake we continued north for less than an hour to the fairy tale world of the glassmaking village/museum known as Baruther Glashütte.

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Travel

THESE PAGES: Built between 1898 and 1930 to heal tuberculosis and other lung diseases, the Beelitz-Heilstätten sanatorium is located near Berlin in the midst of nature. The expansive complex comprising 60 buildings was in its time considered an architectural and technological gem. During the two world wars it was transformed into a military hospital and after the post-war division of Europe it fell to the Soviets. With the departure of the Soviet Army in the mid 1990s the complex became deserted and a magnet for late night parties and looting.

Today you can view the dilapidated buildings from a tree-top walkway, visit the interiors in the company of a guide, and listen to a concert in a former bathhouse with great acoustics. The eerie atmosphere hanging over the complex has inspired many a scary tale.

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LEFT: At Spargelhof Klaistow they grow more than just asparagus, even if the name suggests otherwise. Since 1990 the farm has been producing green and white asparagus as well as blueberries, strawberries and pumpkins. Part of the harvest is processed on site into various delicacies and the remainder is sold in nearby shops. You can buy the produce directly or pick it yourself, and the best part is that you don’t pay for what you eat while picking! Throughout the year the farmstead hosts various food festivals, culminating with the autumn goose feast. The complex includes a restaurant, a farmer’s market, a children’s park, a game reserve and walking trails.

With a history of glassmaking that goes back some three hundred years, the village furnaces are still glowing hot, though today glass is made there only in small numbers. Visitors can try their hand at glassblowing or purchase glass products and other handicrafts in the museum gift shop.

The quaint village is complete with a flower shop, a small pub, a shop selling sausages, a café with a ceramics workshop, a gallery, a multifunctional hall and a small museum featuring the work of Rony Plesl – a star of Czech glassmaking.

To explore the sporting opportunities offered by the Brandenburg region, we headed south from Berlin to the flat countryside of Niederen Fläming [Lower Fläming] and Baruther Urstromtal [the Baruth glacial valley].

There we joined cyclists and inline skaters on the Flaeming-Skate bike and skate trail, Europe’s longest connected skating and cycling path boasting a length of more than 230 kilometres. If you prefer hiking, perhaps even hiking to abandoned or eerie places, then a visit to Beelitz-Heilstätten is a must. The former sanatorium for curing lung diseases opened in 1898 and during the war years transformed into a military hospital. From 1945 until 1995 the 60 buildings comprising the complex were occupied by the Soviets, and after their departure the complex became largely forgotten. But not by everyone, for the desolate space quickly became a hub of nightlife activity, luring looters as well as fans of horror. The site has served as a set for a number of films and as a venue for a few big concerts. Today the former sanatorium can be accessed only with a guide, and in spite of the pleasant tour, the surrounding greenery, the ever-present birdsong and the salutary fresh air, it feels very spooky. The hair-raising atmosphere is indescribable and must be experienced first hand.

Our last stop was Spargelhof Klaistow, a former family estate that has grown into one of the largest producers of asparagus in Germany. During the growing season between 50 to 100 tonnes of the vitamin-rich vegetable are produced there each day, together with blueberries, strawberries and pumpkins, and the produce is used for various locally-made delicacies and drinks. The estate is surrounded by a grove and a small game reserve and regularly hosts events of all kinds. It would be unthinkable to stop at Spargelhof and to not enjoy its namesake product, and so we fuelled up with a large portion of white asparagus served with Hollandaise sauce and followed it with home-made blueberry soda. A perfect culinary farewell to our unforgettable Brandenburg excursion. ■

For more information about Brandenburg, visit www.lausitzerseeland.de, www.brandenburg-tourism.com and www.germany.travel .

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Flood of History

MORE TO SEE IN BRANDENBURG

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OVERNIGHT STAY ON THE WATER

RESTAURANT AND COOKING SCHOOL

The residential harbour Scado on Lake Geierswald offers accommodation that will beat any lakeside stay. Five floating houses have been completed and plans are underway for more. Take in the sunrise followed by breakfast, all on a floating terrace with uninterrupted views.

In addition to offering sophisticated seasonal dishes with local and international ingredients, Die Drogerie also hosts cooking courses. After a good effort in the kitchen you can reward yourself with a fine wine from the restaurant’s own cellar.

Travel

ASPARAGUS HUNDREDS OF WAYS

ENDLESS SADDLE AND SKATE RIDE

The Spargelhof Klaistow restaurant prepares asparagus in hundreds of ways. With fish, beef tongue, or Hollandaise sauce, in a sweet version or as a light salad. Wash down the vitamin-rich meal with asparagus beer – at Spargelhof you’ll find asparagus in everything.

The Flaeming-Skate trail network stretches over more than two hundred kilometres and traverses woodlands and villages. Strap on your skates or hop into the bike saddle to discover the magical combination of German history, pristine nature and regional gastronomy.

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No. 3 GLUTEN-FREE COCONUT PORRIDGE ‘A HEARTY BREAKFAST IS KEY,’ SAYS IVETA FROM THE CZECH COMPANY ECCE VITA. TOGETHER WITH GABRIELA FROM THE PETR & GABI FOODIES BLOG, ECCE VITA HAS DEVELOPED A RECIPE FOR A GLUTEN AND LACTOSE-FREE BREAKFAST THAT TAKES ONLY A FEW MINUTES TO PREPARE. ECCE VITA’S WORK IS INSPIRED BY HOLISTIC MEDICINE, INCLUDING AYURVEDA, FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE AND MODERN NATUROPATHY. FOR NEARLY TWENTY YEARS THEY HAVE BEEN SUPPLYING HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS AND TEAS, VEGAN FOOD, SUPERFOODS AND THEIR OWN, LOCALLY MADE COSMETICS. In this porridge recipe you will enjoy the taste of a vitamin-packed dried berry mix, which shields the body from oxidative stress, combined with quality cinnamon, a digestion and detoxification aid. The porridge is sweetened with organic sugar made from unrefined sugarcane and garnished with red rose buds from China, picked and dried in spring. Energy-packed rose buds that sit beautifully in your bowl.

METHOD: Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Spoon into a bowl and garnish with nuts, rose buds and antioxidant mix.

TIP: Keep chunks of ripe bananas in your freezer. Frozen bananas taste better than fresh ones in smoothies and porridge and have a creamier consistency. It is also good to soak oats to help with their digestion. Soak the oats in water overnight and then rinse several times before blending with the other ingredients.

Buy ingredients for this recipe at www.eccevita.cz . For more recipes from Gabriela and Petr at P&G foodies visit www.pgfoodies.com.

SERVINGS: 2 WHAT YOU NEED: 2 ripe bananas 300 ml coconut milk 7 tablespoons gluten-free oats 6 tablespoons grated coconut ¼ teaspoon organic ground cinnamon Ecce Vita 1 tablespoon antioxidant mix Ecce Vita 1 heaped teaspoon organic sugar from unrefined sugarcane Ecce Vita for garnish handful of pecans Chinese red rose buds Ecce Vita 1 teaspoon antioxidant mix Ecce Vita partner for the recipe: Ecce Vita text: editorial team and Gabriela Ogurčáková photo and styling: Gabriela Ogurčáková eccevita pg_foodies

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Science

text: Eliška Selinger photo: Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences

BODILY PLANET

ACCORDING TO RECENT STUDIES, HUMAN CELLS ACCOUNT FOR ROUGHLY 47 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF CELLS IN THE HUMAN BODY. 47%! THE REMAINING 53 PER CENT BELONG TO BACTERIA. THAT’S A BIG NUMBER, BUT MUCH SMALLER THAN EARLIER ESTIMATES, WHICH SUGGESTED THAT BACTERIAL CELLS ACCOUNTED FOR MORE THAN TEN TIMES THE NUMBER OF HUMAN CELLS. EVEN SO, THE LATEST FINDINGS MEAN THAT EACH PERSON HOSTS SEVERAL KILOGRAMS OF BACTERIA, WHICH IN THEMSELVES INTRODUCE BETWEEN 2 TO 20 MILLION GENES INTO THE HUMAN BODY – ABOUT A HUNDREDFOLD MORE THAN HUMAN CELLS. ALTHOUGH DISTRESSING FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE OBSESSED WITH HYGIENE, THESE FINDINGS BRING NEW HOPE TO MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WITH AS YET INCURABLE CONDITIONS. ARMED WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES, DIETICIANS AND NEUROSCIENTISTS ARE FOCUSING THE MICROSCOPE ON THE PREVIOUSLY UNIMAGINABLE COMPLEXITY BEHIND THE WORD ‘MICROBIOME’.

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Bodily Planet

It is no surprise that our digestive tract is full of bacteria. For many years scientists believed that bacteria had a commensal relationship with humans – that they lived in our gut and quietly feasted on our sustenance, but did no harm to our body nor aid it in any way. When they did let themselves be known, it was usually not much fun, and so whole generations of medical practitioners and microbiologists came to view bacteria and other microorganisms as sources of potential problems. Beginning with the work of Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch, microbes came to be viewed as a source of illness and scientific research focused on spotting potential troublemakers and uncovering how they destroy the inner environment of a host organism.

There was another parallel development in the history of microbiology, one that did not focus on the human body, but on the complex clusters of microorganisms found in our environment, particularly in soil and seawater.

Environmental microbiologists quickly learnt that soil microorganisms did not live in isolation but in intricate communities, where they interacted with other microorganisms as well as surrounding inorganic substances.

With further advancements in the field of medicine, coupled with the discovery of complex communities of microorganisms in the human intestine and in other parts of the human body, medical microbiologists have embraced the ideas of their environmentally-oriented colleagues and formulated an entirely new and quite revolutionary view of the ‘planet’ known as the human body. The new perspective sees bacterial cells, as well as viral and fungal particles, as essential partners to human cells in the complex micro-ecosystem of the human body, an ecosystem marked by mutual cooperation, evolution and communication. It is a perspective that may help us to better understand microbes not only in relation to illness, but more importantly, in relation to health. From our original view of microbes as harmless and useless commensals, we have come to understand that without the human microbiome, we would not be the humans we are.

Human Microbiome Projects The interest the human microbiome has garnered over the past two decades is nothing less than phenomenal. Around the year 2000 the number of scientific journal citations relating to our internal micro-dwellers hovered somewhere around zero; today it is in the thousands. A lot of what we know today comes from the Human Microbiome Project financed by the US National Institutes of Health, which published the results of its first phase of research in 2012. The goal of the project was to describe the microbiomes from 18 different parts of the body in as many as 242 healthy volunteers. The project confirmed the hypothesis that different parts of the body are inhabited by radically different populations, with the greatest variety found in the oral cavity and in intestinal samples. In contrast, the mucous membrane of the vagina was found to be a fairly monocultural environment populated largely by Lactobacteria. The project also

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noted fascinating differences in the microbiomes of different individuals.

While all conformed to a specific human model, the individual microbiomes were so different they could easily be used in forensic science for identification purposes, just as DNA. Microbes could also tell more than we had previously thought possible. The project found, for example, that microbial composition could identify members of the same family or even reveal one’s sexual partners.

In addition to having a clearer picture of the microbiota that inhabit our body, we also now have a rough outline of the changes that happen in our microbiome over the course of our lives. The story begins well before birth, when during various phases of pregnancy the vaginal microbiome transforms under the influence of pregnancy hormones. Lactobacillus bacteria increase in their numbers, ostensibly to protect the growing embryo by occupying all available areas and keeping harmful bacteria at bay. The importance of Lactobacilli in pregnancy is further supported by a confirmed link between disturbances to this natural cycle and higher rates of preterm births. At the end of pregnancy Lactobacilli retreat, to be replaced by Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, and the late-pregnancy microbiome is passed from the mother to the child during birth. The microbiome of a newborn child is further supported by the mother’s milk, which has evolved to contain oligosaccharides, the optimal food for the dominant microbiota in the intestines of a newborn. These oligosaccharides are not found in the milk of any other mammal. As infants transition to a solid diet, their microbiomes begin to transform into adult versions. And then, as we age, the variety of microbiota found in our internal ecosystems decline.

Furthermore, the varieties and activities of the various microbiota are subject to our lifestyle choices – diet, stress, physical activity and sleep habits – and genetic predisposition. Finally, it appears that as much as we regulate our own microbiome, our individual microbiomes regulate us.

Homage to Fallen Mice Any hypothesis about ways in which the human microbiome could be used to combat disease must first be tested on animals. One of the most popular animals for microbiome research are germ-free mice – mice that have been bred to survive a microbe-free life for as long as possible. Germ-free mice allow scientists to study how a body would evolve if it had no microbiome, and to study the effects of individual bacteria or whole populations, including those removed from human patients and transferred into mice.

Studies have shown that mice that have no internal microorganisms suffer from various abnormalities, including disorders in the development of the immune system and disorders of the central nervous system. Research suggests that a significant part of the communication between intestinal microbes and the brain is carried through the vagus nerve, or the tenth cranial nerve, which regulates many functions including the heart rate and the movement of muscle tissue within the digestive tract. Treatment using several types of bacteria has resulted in an increase in the production

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of GABA, one of the ‘communication’ molecules of nerve cells, in certain parts of the brain. The therapy has been shown to decrease the production of stress hormones and levels of anxiety and depression.

Yoghurt for Depression?

The compelling results from studies on mice have led to early clinical trials.

Although results are still very limited, and a lot of ground remains to be covered before they can be applied in practice, the number of ailments for which microbial therapy may be relevant is growing with each step. Some of the earliest clinical trials were carried out on patients with clinical depression, which according to the World Health Organisation affects about 4.7 per cent of the world’s population. Clinical depression is characterised by changes in neural pathways, which in animal studies have been shown to be influenced by the presence – or absence – of certain microbes. Randomised studies at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2017 tested treatment with probiotics [specifically selected bacteria], prebiotics [substances that support the growth of suitable bacteria] and placebo in a group of more than 100 patients with clinical depression. Among the 81 patients who completed the eight-week therapy, the trial noted a significant positive effect in patients who were given the probiotic therapy, but not in patients who were given prebiotic or placebo treatments. Other clinical trials have confirmed the positive influence of probiotics even on healthy individuals – they have observed reduction in anxiety, depressive moods and levels of stress. Positive effect was also noted in people diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome.

However, the excitement generated by these results has been tempered by findings of a Singapore-UK meta analysis from the same year, which looked at the results of more than ten randomised studies and drew the conclusion that the effects of probiotic therapy are mild and only notable in patients diagnosed with clinical depression. This study concluded that taking probiotic supplements has probably no noticeable effect in healthy individuals.

Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, intestinal inflammation, obesity, underweight, diabetes, autism spectrum disorder… The list of conditions, healthy and pathological, in which changes in our ‘bodily planet’ have been found to be important is long and growing. Related to this is a growing list of unresolved questions, many being the chicken-and-egg kind.

Are we observing changes in a microbiome or the beginnings of an illness?

What is the role of viruses and fungi, the less well-known inhabitants of our microbiome? Does the human microbiome influence other functions in our bodies? What about its influence on our ability to learn, not only in older age, but also in childhood, as some recent studies indicate? Will modern medicine be able to include targeted change to our microbiome as a method of treatment? Or will we never move beyond talking about the relationship we are unable to influence? One thing is for certain – our understanding of the human microbiome will never be as commensal, or one-sided, as it was before. ■

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text: Helena Novotná photo: Lina Németh

TWO HUNDRED STINGS MEETING ONDRA KOPIČKA CONVINCED US THAT BEES ARE SMARTER THAN PEOPLE, APPLES ARE THE BEST FRUIT, AND WINE TASTES BETTER WHEN YOU MAKE IT YOURSELF. ONDRA IS MANY THINGS – A CHOIRMASTER, A TRANSLATOR, A BEEKEEPER, A WINEMAKER, A CIDER BREWER AND A DISTILLER. THE DESCRIPTOR ‘RENAISSANCE MAN’ MAY SOUND LIKE A CLICHÉ, BUT IN ONDRA’S CASE IT FITS LIKE A GLOVE. JOIN US ON AN EXCURSION TO HIS BEEHIVES NEAR KARLŠTEJN, HIS ORCHARD IN ZADNÍ KOPANINA AND HIS VINEYARD IN MODŘANY. AND BEWARE OF STINGS!

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THESE PAGES: Ondra has approximately 1,000 grapevines on his vineyard in Prague’s Modřany area. He grows various varieties, including Riesling, Pinot Noir, Müller-Thurgau, Gewürtztraminer and Merlot.

When we went to see the bees you used a smoker so we wouldn’t get stung. How does that work? The smoke imitates the smell of a forest fire. Instinctively the bees go inside to feed so they can survive as long as possible if they end up having to leave the hive. A bee’s stinger is located at the tip of its abdomen, so it has to bend a lot to sting someone. And that’s hard to do with a full belly. Long ago beekeepers discovered that smoke is the best way to keep stings at bay. We use rotten wood or tinder fungus in the smoker, the same fire starter that’s been used for 5,000 years. But I don’t worry about stings too much. The first two hundred hurt, and then it doesn’t matter any more.

How did you find your way to apiculture? I drank a lot of wine…

That’s how all good stories begin.

In your case too then? Yes. I bought a vineyard that had some trees and I felt there weren’t enough bees. So I thought I should get some. First I

got one hive, the next year two, then five and now I have twenty.

How long does it take for bees to make one honeycomb? The general rule is that for one kilo of beeswax you get about eight kilos of honey.

But the time varies – it depends on how many plants are blooming.

Weather is also a factor, because bees have to be able to get out. And then there’s the question of water.

When it’s too dry, plants don’t produce nectar. If you think about it, plants make nectar to release pressure from their sap.

How much does a single bee collect? In its lifetime, which lasts about six weeks, a bee will collect about half a teaspoon of honey.

Some honeycombs are light and some are dark. Why is that?

The dark ones are where bee larvae have hatched, and the more larvae in a honeycomb, the darker the colour. Before a larva grows into an adult bee it sheds its exoskeleton

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several times – the more shedding, the darker the honeycomb. When deciding in which cells she will lay her eggs, a Queen looks for a compact space. The bees also build special honey-making cells that are larger and are built at a slight angle to keep the honey contained. Several bees share the work of storing nectar in a cell, passing the nectar from mouth to mouth and adding their own enzymes in the process.

That’s why honey is so good for you.

And that’s the honey we eat? It doesn’t end there. Bees first measure the concentration of honey using a method we don’t yet understand. If necessary, they work on evaporating some of the water content. They hold on to the honeycomb with their legs and then flutter their wings like little fans, speeding up evaporation. When they have reduced water content to about 17 per cent they put a wax seal over the honeycomb. That’s the honey we eat.

If I want to buy honey from you, how do I go about it? You register on my website and I send you an email.

I sell my honey still in honeycombs immediately after the harvest. People like it because it reminds them of their childhood and of nature. It’s terribly impractical but there is interest in it, and it saves me a lot of work.

And it doesn’t end with honey, does it? Honey, wine and cider, and now we are building a distillery, so soon there will be spirits. That should help us make a real living, because for now I still earn an income by working at a computer.

You are managing the bees, the wine and the orchard on the side

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for now? In winter I sit at my computer and it’s a hard slog, because I’m used to being outside the rest of the year. I studied classical music and I am a conductor by training. But when I started working in the industry I realised that if I’m not going to conduct a philharmonic orchestra, it’s going to be hard to make a living. Because I spent a part of my childhood in America, I speak English well and so I do translation work. But that means sitting at the computer for hours on end, which I don’t like, and so I started to look around for hobbies that would take me outside. The first was the vineyard. I thought it would be great to make my own wine and not have to buy any.

And how did you get to cider?

It doesn’t have a long tradition in Czechia … I used to drive past an apple orchard and see a huge amount of fallen apples go to waste. So I called the owner and asked if I could pick them up. I really hate waste, and when I saw twenty tonnes of apples rotting on the ground, I couldn’t take it. The owner agreed and so I took them away, pulped and pressed them. I wanted some sweet cider for the winter, but it started to ferment and suddenly I had the alcoholic kind. So I got together some people who knew about brewing ciders and that’s how our annual cider tasting began, now a big event hosted at Meetfactory.

This year was our eighth tasting.

And from cider it’s not a huge step to distilling? I hope that in autumn we can start up the Landcraft distillery, which will be built entirely on apples, an amazing and highly underrated fruit. People have no idea what it offers. In Moravia apples are

RIGHT: When you buy Ondra’s honey, it comes in a honeycomb.

He sells only the light, virgin honeycombs, in which no bees have hatched.

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THESE PAGES: Bees are constantly communicating, their movements telling how far and in which direction nectar can be found. They know intimately the area around their hive up to a distance of three kilometres.

considered second-rate and are only used for distilling when there are no plums. But an apple brandy isn’t second-rate; it’s just not very good when young. It needs to age, ideally in a wooden cask, which gives rise to micro-oxidation – an exchange of oxygen through the cask walls. This gives the brandy its finesse, making it smoother and nicer to drink. But no one wants to do this in Czechia and everyone compares young apple brandy to freshly distilled plum brandy, and that’s a shame. We’re going to make apple spirits the authentic way by letting them age in oak casks for at least three years.

The results are phenomenal. Exquisite! It has the brown colour of a cognac or a whiskey, a beautiful round taste and notes of apples and vanilla.

Once Czechs learn how to drink it, there will be no stopping them!

But the distilling business is very regulated… Huuugely bureaucratic!

Cameras and seals everywhere, everything documented and recorded.

Honey and wine are not so restric-

tive, because we are a country with a winemaking history and legislation in this area is fairly benevolent – for small-scale winemakers, that is. I’m a so-called winemaker-gardener and as such I can produce a maximum of 1,000 litres per year.

So that’s what I do.

Are you planning to do more with your honey and wine? At the moment we are focussing on the distillery. The problem is that if you want to enjoy something, you have to keep it limited in scope. To make sure I enjoy beekeeping, I have only twenty hives, so that I can tend to them all in a day or an afternoon.

So you don’t envision your products on a supermarket shelf? No. The moment you put something on a supermarket shelf, it gets exposed to constant light, manhandled, and if it travels thousands of kilometres, it has to be stabilised. And that means adding sulphur and all kinds of preservatives, treating it with UV radiation, and filtering it so

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LEFT: The orchard has eight different apple varieties – some are in bloom, some no longer. They’ll produce about 20 tonnes of apples that will be turned into cider or preliminary experiments with apple distilling.

that not one bacteria or yeast cell can survive. When you do something authentically, you have to accept that it must be stored in a dark, cool place and that it will last only a short time. Many people working in agriculture don’t understand this yet. Consumers want fresh vegetables but they also want them to last.

They want their produce natural but also clean from soil. They want lowfat pigs and low-calorie yoghurt.

But it doesn’t work that way.

Your wine is made naturally, but that’s not the only way in which it differs from regular production.

I have no illusions that my wine is better, but it is different. Unlike most other winemakers I don’t separate grape varieties. I mix them all together, even white and red grapes. I feel they come from this particular place in the world, and I want its unique taste to come through – it’s what winemakers call terroir. And here we have phenomenal terroir!

Is this approach of mixing it all together reflected in your blog Winepunk? It’s not really like that.

The ‘punk’ bit is more about how I don’t actually know much about any of this. I have very basic equipment and I’m doing things in a way that anyone could replicate. For several years I’ve been using the blog to write about my agricultural successes and failures, and many of my regular readers have become customers.

How do you come up with names for your wines? That’s the fun part.

Something always comes to me by chance. For example I have a wine named after a hip-hop song I always sing while running around with the sprayer.

How are you managing everything? Isn’t it exhausting? It’s the same as with music. Learning the first instrument is hard, but with each additional one it gets easier.

That’s because the technique of a specific instrument accounts for less than half of what is happening when making music. Understanding how music works is the big thing – the specific movements the fingers or lips make are quite minor in comparison. The same is true in agriculture. Specific areas of agriculture may appear far apart, but in reality it’s all about understanding the laws of nature, and these are the same whether you are growing carrots or keeping bees. Each new area is simply an application of the same principles of nature but with a few specific details changed, like the fact that carrots need lighter soil. If you don’t understand the laws of nature or if you defy them, you’ll have the same results as when you learn to play music mechanically.

You’ll completely miss its meaning, its beauty, its uplifting power. ■

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READING ALLOWED

partner for the article: Arthouse Hejtmánek text: Hana Janišová photo: Lina Németh styling: Janka Murínová

FOOD IS INEXTRICABLY LINKED TO THE ART OF DINING AND ITS RULES OF ETIQUETTE. DR. JIŘÍ STANISLAV GUTH-JARKOVSKÝ, ONE OF THE TWELVE FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE, WAS ALSO THE RESOUNDING CZECH AUTHORITY ON SOCIAL ETIQUETTE IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. THE GURU OF GOOD MANNERS WROTE EXTENSIVELY ON HOW TO PROPERLY BEHAVE IN PUBLIC, OUTLINING THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER BEHAVIOUR AT SOCIAL EVENTS, WHAT TO DO AND NOT DO AT WEDDINGS, FUNERALS, BANQUETS AND BALLS, AND HOW TO DRESS AND EXPRESS ONESELF APPROPRIATELY FOR ANY OCCASION.

More than a century has passed since Dr. Guth-Jarkovský published Společenský katechismus [Catechism of Social Behaviour]. Society has changed much in this time, and so has social etiquette. Women are more present in the workforce, men are involved in running the household and children are no longer kept separate from visitors at mealtimes. A starkwhite tablecloth is no longer a must, and special plates for asparagus have largely been forgotten. Most people do much of their own food preparation and serving, so no one takes offense when the host serves soup directly at the table, something that would have been a faux pas in the past. There is still much that holds, however, for most would agree that there is a need for a degree of social etiquette, and that its rules should be applied appropriately as circumstances require. After all, food is about more than just satiating hunger. When eaten at a nicely presented dining table, food not only tastes better, but our time with family and friends passes more pleasantly. When dining alone, however, you are still allowed to read, just as it was allowed in the time of Dr. Guth-Jarkovský.

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Porcelain dinner service, Viktorie style, Herend, Hungary, 1930; pair of candle holders, silver, Vienna, circa 1880; pair of stands, silver-plated brass, Sheffield, England, circa 1880; all Arthouse Hejtmรกnek

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partner for the article: Mercedes-Benz text: Hana Švolbová illustration: Petr Belák

HEY MERCEDES!

THE COMPACT VEHICLE CLASS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME THANKS TO THE INTRODUCTION OF THE 4TH GENERATION MERCEDES-BENZ A-CLASS. REDEFINING MODERN LUXURY WITH ITS REVOLUTIONARY INTERIOR, THE A-CLASS FEATURES THE GROUND-BREAKING MERCEDES-BENZ USER EXPERIENCE AND A RANGE OF OTHER FUNCTIONS THAT HAVE SO FAR BEEN RESERVED FOR THE BRAND’S LUXURY CLASS. MARRYING EXTERNAL PURISM WITH AN AVANT-GARDE INTERIOR, THE VEHICLE IS LEADING A REVOLUTION FROM THE INSIDE!

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Hey

!

I’m hungry !

Knight Rider’s car KITT is no longer just a memory of the 1980s American TV series – it’s come back as the Mercedes A-Class. You can tell it that you are hungry and it will help you find the nearest restaurant. While it’s not yet able to watch your diet or remember the daily menu, thanks to its ability to learn through gradual individualisation, in time it may be able to do that as well. It also knows how to adjust for your temperature comfort and tell you what the weather has in store. Nothing beats being able to talk to someone who understands you!

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Not that long ago, the high-end models that are currently rolling off the Mercedes-Benz showroom floor would have been the stuff of science fiction. And now the company’s first-class technologies and automotive designs have made their way into the compact class, bringing together dynamic, clean design with revolutionary and economical technologies, including new fuel-efficient diesel and petrol engines. For the driver, the 4th generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class makes life easier on a number of levels, and in some situations the advanced driver-assistance system even offers automated driving. In short, the A-Class is an intelligent and sensitive partner for everyday motoring.

The body of the new A-Class has been streamlined, eliminating unnecessary contours and bringing it more in line with the simple, elegant lines of the CLS and the rest of current Mercedes-Benz aesthetic. From the outside, the A-Class is fast, dynamic yet full of emotion. Its form hints at the car’s sporty performance and lends the vehicle the aerodynamic properties that place it in the forefront of its class. But the best awaits on the inside! The avant-garde interior is defined by an uninterrupted instrument panel that sweeps across the dashboard like an elegant window into the car’s very soul. Analogue instruments have been completely replaced by the touch screen display, and the cockpit atmosphere is enhanced with ambient lighting in 64 shades.

The most groundbreaking feature of the all new A-Class is the personal connection it creates with its driver. With the multi-media system MBUX – Mercedes-Benz User Experience – the German carmaker is ushering in the era of ‘Mercedes Me’. The artificial intelligence system is designed to learn and adjust to your needs. The car is controlled through a voice control system using everyday speech, as well as a high-resolution touch screen display coupled with a touch control panel located on the steering wheel.

Activated with the magic words ‘Hey Mercedes’, the intelligent system can react to your every need – like changing the ambient temperature or light intensity while you drive. It informs you about local points of interest, takes you to your destination, and lets you in on the weather forecast.

It even knows whether you are speaking to it or to your passenger, so it won’t do something you don’t want. The MBUX system works with 3D reality, which it projects onto the instrument panel and the head-up display, creating an emotional connection with its driver and passengers. ■

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Hey

!

I’ve got a date!!!

Panicking over your first date? Don’t know where to buy flowers, where to go to impress, how to get there, how to set the right atmosphere?

The Mercedes A-Class knows how to create a connection between the car, the driver and the passenger. It will show you the hottest nightspots and the quietest parks, tell you what to expect from the weather, and help you find your way. Together you can find the best cinema or theatre programme, or the most suitable shade for interior mood lighting. If needed, it will even take control of the wheel.

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y e H

!

Help m e out her e‌

Yes, this is a car for the panicky driver. With its Intelligent Drive function, the Mercedes A-Class can help with partially automated driving. The driver-assistance system will help you stay within the lane, guard against a rear collision and keep a safe distance from other vehicles. Navigation from point A to point B is a given, enhanced with up-to-date traffic information and clear and intelligible instructions, complete with direction arrows superimposed on live video that gets projected on the display screen. What’s more, it will model the surroundings in 3D.

Hey

!

e Tell m more?

The multimedia Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) is ushering in a new era of connectivity. Next to voice control, the Mercedes A-Class has a wide touch screen display, touch controls on the steering wheel and a central console touch panel. It also uses widened reality technology on the instrument panel and the head-up display. The MBUX displays information from the internet, such as the price of fuel at upcoming fuel stations or available parking spots at nearby car parks. Need to be always up to date? Simply refresh the car’s internet browser.

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Ernest Wińczyk

határtalan design design without borders

13.madeinhungary + 06.MeeD

Exhibition of works by Austrian, Czech, German, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian and Swiss designers Venue: New Budapest Gallery (Bálna), 1093 Budapest, Fővám tér 11–12.

On view: 15 June – 26 August, 2018.

Opening: 14 June, 2018. 7 pm Professional expo day: 15 June, 2018, 11 am to 3 pm – presentations by the designers /Further information is available on the website /

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madeinhungary-meed.hu

FOOD & CULTURE ALL DAY EVERY DAY

SOFFA READING LOUNGE PART OF THE MANIFESTO MARKET 8–29 JUNE 2018 NA FLORENCI PRAGUE 1

A new cultural and gastronomy pop-up market in the heart of Prague. www.manifesto.city

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partner for the article: Todus text: Helena Stiessová photo: Lina Németh styling: Janka Murínová

SOIRÉE WITH A VIEW

GET YOUR SUNGLASSES AND DRINK UMBRELLAS READY, THE SOIRÉE WITH A ROYAL VIEW IS ABOUT TO BEGIN. SPIRES IN ALL DIRECTIONS AND ANGELS GRINNING FROM THE SURROUNDING FACADES. CENTRED AROUND A SPACIOUS TABLE THAT HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A BAR, GARDEN FURNITURE FROM THE CZECH COMPANY TODUS AWAITS. GRAB A DRINK AND FIND A COMFORTABLE SEAT – HERE YOU CAN RISE ABOVE THE DIN OF A BIG CITY. OUR SOIRÉE TOOK PLACE ON THE ROOF OF THE KOTVA SHOPPING CENTRE, WHERE THE UPPER FLOORS ARE OPEN ONLY ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS. BUT THE PRAGUE ROOFLINE OFFERS MANY MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TAKING IN THE VIEW OF THE FABLED ONE HUNDRED SPIRES. LOOK UP, UP AND UP!

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Soirée With a View

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Starling lounge suite, design Studio Segers, www.todus.cz, from €999 | Palissade bench, Hay, www.stockist.cz, 8,538 Kč | Industriell brown vase and Snidad rattan basket, www.ikea.cz, 549 Kč and 599 Kč | Moon decorative bowl, Blomus, www.kulina.cz, 1,149 Kč THIS SPREAD: Duct chair and table, design Studio Segers, www.todus.cz, €499 and €3,599 | neon sign, www.butlers.cz, 799 Kč | Diamonds glass vase, 1,997 Kč; DeLight brown vases, 890 Kč/piece; all Villeroy & Boch; www.luxurytable.cz | Neon drink glasses, Bohemia Crystal, 695 Kč/set | Vardagen water glasses, www.ikea.cz, 99 Kč/ 6 pieces | plate and bowl, Mobax City Shop, 649 Kč and 689 Kč

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THIS PAGE: Starling lounger and small tables, design Studio Segers, all www.todus.cz, €699 and from €599 | outdoor rug, www.butlers.cz, 459 Kč | Zone bowls, www.kulina.cz, 1,560 Kč | Jenaer Glas pitcher, Villeroy & Boch, 1,120 Kč; Theo Nordic coffee maker, Stelton, 1,958 Kč; both www.luxurytable.cz | Ypperlig pillows, www.ikea.cz, 129 Kč/piece | metal cup, Kotva housewares, 52 Kč RIGHT: Condor chair and Starling small tables, design Studio Segers, all www.todus.cz, €399 and from €599 | outdoor lights, www.granit.com | neon cactus and Aloha paper decorations, all www.butlers.cz, 799 Kč and 189 Kč/piece | plastic cups, Kotva housewares, 25 Kč/piece | Jenaer Glas pitcher, Villeroy & Boch, www.luxurytable.cz, 1,120 Kč | light bulb glasses with straw, 99 Kč/piece; pineapple glass, 199 Kč; cactus glass, 99 Kč; all Mobax City Shop

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No. 4 CAFETERIA SOUR

SERVINGS: 1 WHAT YOU NEED: 1 fresh small cucumber (save some for garnish) 45 ml vodka or Becherovka 20 ml fresh lemon juice 15 ml sugar syrup 5 ml white wine vinegar 15 ml egg white text: Hana Janišová and George Němec photo: Lina Németh becherovkavoyager gastrokrouzek

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THE RENOWNED BARTENDER GEORGE NĚMEC HAS MIXED HIS WAY TO A NUMBER OF TOP AWARDS, INCLUDING AUSTRALIAN BARTENDER OF THE YEAR IN 2004. AND THANKS TO GEORGE, YOU WILL DISCOVER BECHEROVKA – THE CZECH BITTER LIQUEUR MADE IN KARLOVY VARY SINCE 1807 – ON THE COCKTAIL LISTS OF SOME OF THE BEST BARS IN THE WORLD. GEORGE IS ONE OF THE TRIO BEHIND ATBARS.COM, WHICH MAPS THE INTERNATIONAL BAR SCENE, AND HE HAS ALSO JOINED FORCES WITH GASTROKROUŽEK [GASTRONOMY CIRCLE], FOR WHICH HE CREATED SEVERAL DRINKS FEATURED IN THEIR COOKBOOK. HERE WE PRESENT THE CUCUMBER-BASED CAFETERIA SOUR, WHICH FOR CZECH IMBIBERS WILL EVOKE MEMORIES OF THE SWEET AND SOUR CUCUMBER SALAD THEY WERE SERVED IN THEIR SCHOOL CAFETERIAS.

METHOD: Crush a fresh cucumber with a wooden pestle in a shaker or mason jar. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well with ice cubes, then pour into a glass filled with ice. For a special touch, press the glass rim beforehand in a mixture of powdered sugar and pepper.

Learn more about the cookbook Gastrokroužek – Spojilo nás jídlo [Gastronomy Circle – Connected by Food] on page 25 and order it at www.kitchenetteshop.cz or www.manzelevkuchyni.cz .

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Fashion

partner for the article: Cukrář Skála concept, text and styling: Patrik Florián make-up: Filip Novák / Douglas photo: Adéla Havelková model: Klára Prokopová / Elite Model Management

SIMPLY DELICIOUS JUST AS A FASHION DESIGNER GIVES THE BODY A NEW VISAGE AND MEANING, SO DOES THE PASTRY CHEF WHEN CREATING A PERFECTLY REFINED AND EXQUISITELY ADORNED PASTRY EXTERIOR. BATTER IS THE FUNCTIONAL MATERIAL, THE CUT GIVES A PASTRY ITS SPECIAL SILHOUETTE, TECHNIQUE IS THE KEY, AND DELICIOUS ACCESSORIES ARE A MUST. PRECISION, PERFECT TIMING AND INSIGHT INTO THE CUSTOMER’S TASTE – THESE ARE ESSENTIAL QUALITIES FOR BOTH FASHION DESIGNERS AND PASTRY CHEFS. ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES WE PAIR CURRENT COLLECTIONS FROM RENOWNED CZECH DESIGNERS WITH SWEET SCULPTURES WORKED TO PERFECTION BY THE PASTRY CHEF LUKÁŠ SKÁLA. BUT REMEMBER, WHILE CLOTHES AND DESSERTS ARE FEASTS FOR THE EYES, THE INTERIOR IS OFTEN MORE INTRIGUING.

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pants and top, both Liběna Rochovå, summer 2018 collection 133

Fashion

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT My favourite sweet? Honey, and when working in my studio, I nibble on dates with cinnamon. I like yellow because it reminds me of my mother’s wedding dress. Although I am a minimalist, I like to work with colours, especially ones that are hard to define. Do clothes make a person or are they just the icing on the cake? To me clothes are like a glaze that has slowly seeped into a pastry. You’re not aware of it, but it defines the taste.

Denisa Nová

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silk dress, Denisa Nová, autumn/ winter 2018 collection | earrings, Lucie Houdková, Bondage Epoxy collection; www.deelive.cz Eklér s kořeněným krémem [spiced cream eclair], www.cukrarskala.cz

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dress and winter coat, both Zdeล ka Imreczeovรก, autumn/ winter 2018 collection Kremrole [cream puff pastry], www.cukrarskala.cz

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Fashion

WHITE TEMPTATION Sponge cake or cream puff pastry? Sponge cake. Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla.

Nougat or caramel? Caramel. What’s my treat when I’m working on a new collection? Orange-flavoured dark chocolate – at least 70% cocoa. What do I like to bake? Beetroot, celeriac, sweet potatoes. If I were to design a dress as fine and airy as whipped cream, I would make it with silk georgette.

Zdeňka Imreczeová

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COLOUR ME BOLD The intoxication of a sweet taste can stimulate and inspire, but I don’t often indulge, and if I really must, then with very dark chocolate. I often wear black, because it helps me keep calm and centred, but on the inside I’m a colourful rainbow and I reflect this in my playful collections. The right colour combinations can channel harmony and calm, and they can also be a mirror on our energy and creative spirit.

Liběna Rochová

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coat, Liběna Rochová, summer 2018 collection Punčák [rum punch cake], www.cukrarskala.cz

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skirt and leather top, both Kateřina Geislerová, spring/ summer 2018 collection | hat, Sofya Samareva Jahodový se skořicovým krémem [strawberry tart with cinnamon cream], www.cukrarskala.cz

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Fashion

IRRESISTIBLE I only look at beautiful desserts – as a way to strengthen my resolve – but I can’t say no to hot raspberries with vanilla ice cream. Irresistible to me are cocktail dresses from the 1950s – narrow waists, close-fitting hips, uncovered shoulders, and I like to play with unusual combinations. Red is my favourite colour, a reflection of happiness, resolve and passion. A must in each of my collections.

Kateřina Geislerová

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velvet jacket and pants, crocodile skin belt, all Lukáš Lindner Atelier, autumn/winter 2018 collection | bracelet, Janja Prokić, Flowers collection; www.deelive.cz Nugátový krém s amarettem [nougat cream with amaretto], www.cukrarskala.cz

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Fashion

ONE, TWO, GONE My relationship with desserts and food in general is more than positive.

I enjoy cooking and baking and I can make a great cacao cake from chickpea flour. My favourite desserts are ones with poppy paste and coconut, but I will also kill for a chocolate soufflé. Best fabric to savour? Definitely velvet.

Fabric is the foundation from which my designs evolve. My last collection is full of taste and emotion.

Lukáš Lindner

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No. 5 CHOCOLATE COATED SNOW PEAKS

SERVINGS: 20–25 WHAT YOU NEED: for the dessert base 10 egg whites 300 g sugar 20 g vanilla pudding powder 10 egg yolks 330 g plain flour for the snow peak filling 300 g egg whites 300 g granulated sugar for whipping 300 g granulated sugar for sugar syrup for the chocolate glaze 70% chocolate text: editorial team and Lukáš Skála photo: Adéla Havelková styling: Janka Murínová cukrar_skala

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THIS TRADITIONAL CZECH DESSERT HAS ITS ROOTS IN NINETEENTH CENTURY VIENNA, WHERE IT WAS SERVED DURING THE PERFORMANCES OF AN EXOTIC MAGICIAN. ORIGINALLY MADE FROM TWO BISCUITS COATED IN CHOCOLATE AND JOINED WITH WHIPPED CREAM, THE DESSERT LATER TOOK THE FORM OF A SNOWY PEAK MADE OF SUGARY EGG WHITES SCULPTED ONTO A SINGLE ROUND BISCUIT AND COATED IN CHOCOLATE. METHOD: Whip the egg whites for the dessert base with sugar and vanilla pudding until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl whip the egg yolks and then blend in the whipped egg whites and the flour. Put the batter into a pastry bag with a no. 11 smooth nozzle and make circles on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place the tray into a preheated 220 °C oven and bake for 3–4 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180 °C and bake until light golden in colour.

For the filling whip the egg whites at medium speed. Add the sugar in two parts and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. In the meantime cook the sugar syrup (approximately 100 ml of water for 300 g of sugar) and when it reaches the temperature of 120 °C, whip it into the stiff egg whites.

Continue to whip the cream until cool. Put it into a pastry bag with a no. 13 smooth nozzle and form snow peaks onto the round dessert bases.

Once the snow peaks have cooled, dip each dessert in melted 70% chocolate.

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With a tradition spanning more than 40 years, the Kotva Department Store in the heart of Prague offers everything you need for a perfect summer day. Make your outings more fun with accessories from Luxurytable.cz, Mobax City Shop, Bohemia Crystal & Porcelain and Kotva Housewares. www.od-kotva.cz

DOUGLAS NATURALS

NEW SKINCARE RANGE FROM DOUGLAS

Utterly Czech

text: Helena Stiessová photo: Lina Németh

ONION HEIRLOOM

IT TAKES PRIDE OF PLACE IN MOST CHINA CABINETS AND LOOKS SMASHING WHEN AIRED FOR A SPECIAL SUNDAY MEAL OR COFFEE AND CAKE – THE GRACEFUL AND TIMELESS BLUE ONION PORCELAIN, THE PRIDE OF OUR (GREAT)GRANDMOTHERS, PASSED FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT. THOSE WHO GREW UP WITH IT MAY HAVE NEVER NOTICED ITS UNDULATING PLANT SHOOTS OR COUNTED THE BULBS ADORNING THE EDGE OF EACH PLATE. AN INSEPARABLE PART OF MANY CZECH HOMES, THE BLUE ONION HAS BEEN GRACING OUR TABLES FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY.

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Utterly Czech

The Blue Onion is a pattern of vegetation motifs painted or printed in cobalt blue under the glaze of porcelain. Production of the Blue Onion porcelain began in Czechia in 1885 in the small town of Dubí, when the local porcelain factory was acquired by the German company C. O. Teichert from Meissen.

Porcelain originates in China and so does the original motif that inspired the Blue Onion pattern. But the early Chinese motif had nothing to do with the humble vegetable. Credit for the onion goes to European manufacturers for whom the exotic pomegranate featured on the original Chinese pattern was a foreign concept. It was an apt rebranding, one that carried its own symbolism. The sharp and pungent vegetable is so ever-present in European kitchens that it was able to carry the name of an entire porcelain décor, one that could equally have become known as the Peach, the Chrysanthemum or the Peony. But fruit and flowers backed down from the scuffle and the Rococo-stylised onion conquered the dining table.

The triumphant European onion was preceded by long centuries of effort to crack the mystery of porcelain manufacturing. The revelation came in 1708 in the German town of Meissen – the same place where the Blue Onion pattern emerged in the first half of the eighteenth century, most likely from the hands of the artist Johann Kretzschmar. Porcelain manufacturing expanded through the eighteenth century from Germany to other European countries; in Czechia the first porcelain factory was established in 1792 in Horní Slavkov. Other factories soon sprang up like mushrooms as Czechia had suitable conditions for porcelain manufacturing, including quality kaolin, timber, skilled labour and technical know-how.

The factory in Dubí was established in 1864 by Anton Tschinkel, who sold it two decades later to the owners of the porcelain factory in Meissen, not far from Czechia’s northern border. Under new ownership the factory began to specialise in producing the Blue Onion pattern. The design was applied with modern techniques in which print largely replaced hand painting.

The Blue Onion is the most common porcelain found in Czech households.

As individual pieces in the overall set have not changed with time, additions and replacements can be found easily. Occasionally designers adopt a modern take on the old classic, ensuring that the Blue Onion will never go out of fashion. An elegant and practical part of our lives, it tells a tale of human ingenuity and industry. Long live the humble vegetable! ■

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RIGHT: Bowls, terrines, plates, cups, saucers, candleholders, jewellery boxes, clocks, pipes and even wallpaper – the Blue Onion pattern shines everywhere. Today the Dubí-based company Český porcelán [Czech Porcelain] produces over 850 different items and is one of four manufacturers in the world to preserve underglaze painting techniques. Until 1956 porcelain manufactured in Dubí was marked with the oval MEISSEN mark; since then it has displayed several variants of the mark ‘Original Zwiebelmuster’ [Original Onion Pattern].

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Holiday Homes

text and styling: Adéla Kudrnová photo: Ondřej Lipár

TUSCAN HIDEAWAY

WE LOVE TO DISCOVER MAGICAL PLACES THAT SEEM TO HAVE BEEN CREATED FOR THE RENEWAL OF ONE’S SPIRITS AND FOR AWAKING IMAGINATION. THE VINEYARD ESTATE CONTI DI SAN BONIFACIO IN TUSCANY, WHERE WE VISITED AT THE END OF MAY, IS JUST THAT. IT WILL ENCHANT YOU WITH ITS OPENNESS AND HOSPITALITY THAT DRAWS UPON A THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD WINEMAKING TRADITION COUPLED WITH A LOVE OF NATURE AND A LOVE OF GOOD FOOD. IF YOU ARE IN SEARCH OF A PLACE TO SOOTHE YOUR SOUL AND REVITALISE YOUR ENERGIES, LOOK NO FURTHER.

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Holiday Homes

LEFT: The dining room, terrace and some of the rooms offer a spectacular view of the vineyard, a view of which you could never tire. Enjoy it while sipping a bottomless glass of wine, as regular bottle refills are included with stays in each of the seven rooms and suites.

Traditional materials like wood, stone and leather are ever-present. The owners chose the same terracotta floor covering for the whole house, bringing unity to the different spaces and allowing guests to feel at home just as much in the dining room as in their own suite or room.

In the midst of Tuscan hills in the area of Maremma, you will find a crowning jewel atop a peak overlooking 125 hectares of vineyards, olive groves and forests. Named Conti di San Bonifacio after its owners – Count Manfredo di San Bonifacio and the Countess Sarah – the exclusive hotel comprises seven exquisite suites and rooms providing complete privacy and comfort.

You can sip a glass of one of the estate’s organic wines next to the pool, on the terrace or perhaps in the bath. In addition to savouring a wine tasting in the estate’s cellar, which is always stocked with their Monteregio di Massa Marittima, Docet IGT, Sustinet IGT and Prosecco DOC, guests can embark on a ‘hunt’ for truffles or take part in a culinary course.

Indeed, gastronomy is a very important part of Conti di San Bonifacio.

Working with produce from local growers, breeders and fishermen, and the fruits of their garden – from tomatoes to their own olive oil – chef Matteo Sciacovelli prepares Tuscan delicacies peppered with flavours gathered from across the globe. One of his recipes will tempt you on the pages that follow. Tuscan cuisine is grounded in its harmony with nature and pure taste, something that both Matteo and the estate owners understand deeply.

Countess Sarah, the lady of the house, spoke with us about the beginnings of their wine resort and her work on the interior furnishings: ‘I worked as an investment banker in London for several years and dreamed of a holiday home in Provence. But as my husband is Italian, he convinced me to take a look at Tuscany. He wanted to try viniculture, which has a long history in his family. Finding the estate was love at first sight for both of us and we put all our savings into its renovation. We established the vineyard anew and in 2006 we bottled our first Monteregio. The interior is my domain and I spent my entire maternity leave on sourcing all the furnishings. My aim was to create a pleasant mix of furniture and accessories inspired by the south of France and by locally-sourced traditional materials.’

Initially the estate served as a family holiday retreat, but in time the owners realised that they weren’t utilising it fully, and so they began to rent it out.

This helps them finance their winemaking enterprise and management of the extensive grounds. In the future they plan to build one more house with accommodation a little further up the hillside.

We enjoyed the wine made by Conti di San Bonifacio so much that we decided to introduce it to Czechia. Starting this June, you can find the estate’s fine wines at the Bokovka wine club and shop in Prague. ■

For more enchanting images of the resort and information about stays visit www.contidisanbonifacio.com.

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LEFT: THESEEctem.

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Outside the frame of the photo is a library full of beautiful books.

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No. 6 AGNOLOTTI MATTEO SCIACOVELLI, THE CHEF AT CONTI DI SAN BONIFACIO, SHARES A RECIPE FOR A TRADITIONAL TUSCAN DISH OF HOMEMADE AGNOLOTTI FILLED WITH LAMPREDOTTO TRIPE. SERVINGS: 6 METHOD: Mix all ingredients for the dough until it is firm. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Cook the tripe for 45 minutes and let it cool to room temperature. Pour a little bit of olive oil into a saucepan and sauté the carrot, celery and onion until golden, then add the garlic with a bit of salt and pepper. Cut the tripe into small pieces and add it to the vegetables, then add white wine and cook for at least one hour. Monitor the tripe and add water as needed. When the tripe is soft, add the tomato puree and let the tripe mixture cool. Blend it and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Roll out the dough with a pasta machine or a rolling pin until very thin (so you can see your hand through the dough). Using a 4 cm-round pastry cutter cut out a circle. Place a teaspoon of the tripe filling into the centre and form the agnolotto into the shape of a star. Dust the agnolotto with flour and let it rest in the refrigerator.

Prepare the capsicums, keeping colours separate. Place each colour into its own vacuum bag with plenty of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and an oregano sprig. Steam for 4 minutes, then remove the ingredients from the bags and blend them separately, so that you have two different colour sauces.

Blend all ingredients for the salsa verde until the mixture is smooth and foamy.

Place the agnolotti into a large pot of salted boiling water and cook for 2–5 minutes, until they float to the top. Drain the agnolotti and serve with the capsicum sauces and salsa verde.

WHAT YOU NEED: for the agnolotti dough 350 g all purpose flour 150 g semolina 4 free range eggs extra virgin olive oil pinch of salt for the agnolotti filling lampredotto (tripe from the fourth stomach of a cow) 2 carrots, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 white onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed with the side of a knife white wine 2 tablespoons tomato puree salt and black pepper for the capsicum sauce 2 yellow capsicums, finely chopped 2 red capsicums, finely chopped extra virgin olive oil 2 sprigs fresh oregano salt and black pepper for the salsa verde bunch of flat-leaf parsley 5 anchovies 2 garlic cloves extra virgin olive oil pinch of salt text: Matteo Sciacovelli photo: Ondřej Lipár matteo_sciacovelli conti_di_san_bonifacio

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SOFFA MINI COOKBOOK FROM ISSUE 27

Are you getting ready to cook, bake or blend some of our recipes? To make it easier for you, we have put together a special mini cookbook with all the recipes featured in this issue plus three extras as a bonus: the Czech all-time-favourite roast sirloin in sour cream sauce, a salad with Charred Beetroot and a summer drink that can be made in alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. Dobrou chuĹĽ!

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EDITORIAL STAFF Adéla Kudrnová | editor in chief adela@soffamag.com Róbert Kováč | art director robert@soffamag.com Helena Stiessová | managing editor helena.s@soffamag.com Hana Janišová | editor hana@soffamag.com Patrik Florián | editor & fashion stylist patrik@soffamag.com Albert Němec | production manager albert@soffamag.com Janka Murínová | designer & stylist jana@soffamag.com Lenka Hlaváčová | graphic supervisor lenka@soffamag.com Jan Voharčík | graphic designer jan@soffamag.com Adéla Havelková | photographer adela.h@soffamag.com Lina Németh | photographer lina@soffamag.com Terézia Bělčáková | sales manager terezia@soffamag.com Lucie Vytlačilová | sales manager lucie@soffamag.com Dita Loudilová | event manager dita@soffamag.com

CONTRIBUTORS Hana Švolbová | writer Eliška Selinger | writer Julien Antih | writer Alexandra Střelcová | writer Teru Menclová | photographer Ondřej Lipár | photographer Klára Wantulová | illustrator Petr Belák | illustrator Filip Novák | make-up artist PUBLISHER Soffa, s. r. o. Špálova 444/6 162 00 Praha 6 – Střešovice www.soffamag.com IČ: 03055671 / DIČ: CZ03055671 © Soffa, s. r. o., 2018 | All rights reserved www.soffamag.com | info@soffamag.com Cover photo: Adéla Havelková DISTRIBUTION Would you like to become a Soffa distributor?

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