Gregor Mendel at the table

At the monastic table of Brno in the 19th century, the meal follows the Czech and Moravian order: it always begins with a polévka (soup), the nourishing foundation of the day; then comes the hlavní jídlo (main course) built around knedlíky (bread or dumplings that replace bread at the table) and cabbage; on feast days and Sundays, the meal closes with a leavened sweet, brioche or koláč. The drink, mead or Moravian wine, accompanies great occasions. This is a cuisine of the garden, economy, and season, where nothing is wasted and the liturgical rhythm marks abundance.

A small seed with a warm, anise-like flavor, caraway is the soul of Czech and Moravian cuisine: it is sown in bread, thrown into pea soup, rubbed into roast pork, and used to perfume cabbage. At the monastery as on the farm of Heinzendorf where Mendel grew up, it helped digest the hearty winter dishes of Moravia. More than anything, it is the signature of the terroir of these recipes.