Čočka na kyselo

The story

Čočka na kyselo means lentils cooked the sour way: brown or green lentils folded into a light roux of onion and flour, then sharpened with vinegar and a pinch of sugar just before serving. It is simple Czech home food, served as a main dish and topped with a fried egg, a pickled cucumber and fried onion, often with a smoked sausage or a pair of párky, the Czech frankfurters. Lentils have a special place on New Year's Day. Czechs repeat the saying "Jak na Nový rok, tak po celý rok," roughly "as on New Year's Day, so all year," and eat lentils on January 1 because each small disc stands for a coin: the more you eat, the more money the year is supposed to bring. The same belief rules out poultry that day, since a bird would let your luck fly away. Coming after the New Year's Eve celebrations, a plate of filling lentils is also simply a practical meal, and the same plate makes an easy supper on any winter evening. Have the eggs and sausages ready before you add the vinegar, then bring the plates straight to the table while the sour edge is still sharp.