I'm from Prerov, Czech Republic. I studied hospitality in Portugal but my cooking experience started at home.
I choose to make Vepro Knedlo Zelo (Czech roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut) because it is part of every family tradition in Czech Republic. It's origin is from the tough time (during the War) our nation had. Sometimes people just could not get out of their homes, so they cook with whatever they have at home. In Czech, people usually had potatoes and pig at home. My grandma taught me to cook this recipe as it is very common and we had most of lunches and dinners at my Grandma's house.
One important note: The cabbage (sauerkraut) is made with homemade herbs' vinegar.
The Vepro-Knedlo-Zelo is usually eaten with a lot of beer in Czech, or Slivovice (a fruit brandy made from plums with 54% alcohol).
Since I was able to hold a spatula, I have helped my mum cooking. Before that, I was really good in reorganizing the drawers in the kitchen - especially taking everything out. Now, as an adult, I enjoy most cooking, but my favourite is to cook big meals for a big group of friends or family (cooking for two all the time is not that much fun!).
My family back home has many traditions with specific meals connected to different holidays, most of which are connected to the church. My family is very old school in preparing traditional meals; the idea of cooking something else on a festive day is practically impossible. My favourite time is when we bake Christmas cookies and listen to Christmas songs on cassette. It's very peaceful to do; it takes lots of time, the cookies are very fragile and you can't rush the baking. You just have to take your time and enjoy spending the time together.
Linzer cookies are not just delicious, but also very pretty and fun to make and share with people, which, for me, the multicultural community kitchens are all about. These cookies are super popular around the Christmas tree with the family, and everyone has a different opinion about how to make them right - different jam, different shapes, everyone thinks their cookies are the best... We make Linzer cookies every Christmas my mum even makes special jam in summer to be ready for Christmas time.