Staročeské Trdlo

CA Scotch Chick asked CA Scotch Gent the other day whether or not if he had it to do over again, he would have made the recent trip to Prague (he is still battling the Slavic Supergerm by the way). His response, was, "Of course, if we hadn't gone back to Prague, we wouldn't have found Trdlo! In fact, I would go back right now if I could have Trdlo again." Thus is the power of this wonderful Tasty Treat.

A Trdlo is a distant cousin to the cinnamon roll (without the icing). It is a piece of dough wrapped around a buttered metal stick, rolled in cinnamon, vanilla, sugar crystals, and chopped hazelnuts, and then cooked over an open flame. The sugar caramelizes in much the same way a sucre waffle does, so there is no need for icing. And, like the sucre waffle, part of the yumminess of a Trdlo is that some of the little chunks of sugar survive the cooking. A Trdlo is an amazing confection, warm, sweet, and slightly crunchy with just the right caramelization of the sugar. It is one of the best Tasty Treats the CA Scotch Couple have ever had!!!

Look at all the yummy caramelized sugar

The CA Scotch Couple found three Trdlo stands while they were in Prague: one near a tram stop in the Lesser Quarter on the Castle side, one in Old Town near the clock tower, and one in New Town near the Tesco's department store on Národní. They never made it to the one in the Lesser Quarter, but they favored the one in New Town over the one in Old Town because it was five Koruna cheaper and it wasn't plagued by bees. The Trdlos in old town had bees crawling all over them, and it looked as if the ladies running the stand had long ago conceded defeat. Although Trdlos are labor intensive, and there was always a bit of a line at the New Town Trdlo stand, that was just fine with the CA Scotch Couple because it meant that the Trdlos were fresh and piping hot.

The Trdlo Stand Near Tescos

There is some internet debate about the origins of Trdlo. The stands have the feel of Czech folk food, and numerous blogs call the Trdlo a traditional Czech bread. However, there is a general consensus that Trdlo is a relatively recent phenomenon. Rumor has it the stands first appeared at a Prague Christmas market in 2003, and the CA Scotch Couple can definitely attest to the fact that there were no Trdlo stands when they were in Prague the last time.

Whatever their origin, the CA Scotch Couple hope Trdlos have a long and happy future. They are definitely one of the reasons the CA Scotch Couple will return to Prague some day. And, they should taste even better in the dead of winter.