To read labels in a Czech supermarket with confidence, it helps to know a handful of key words: flour types (hladká, polohrubá, hrubá), fat percentages on dairy, the difference between máslo and rostlinný tuk, and the two expiry dates — spotřebujte do and minimální trvanlivost. Below is a practical cheat sheet for the most common products, so you don't end up with the "wrong" item and can actually understand what's in it.
In Czechia, flour isn't graded by "type 00" or similar — it's classified by the fineness of the grind, i.e. particle size. That's the key thing to grasp on the label.
| Name | What it is | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| hladká (fine grind) | Particles up to roughly 162 μm | Thickening sauces, sponge cakes (piškot), muffins, cookies, pancakes and crêpes (palačinky) |
| polohrubá (medium grind) | 162–366 μm | Yeasted dough (kynuté), poured cakes, enriched pastries — anything needing gluten development |
| hrubá (coarse grind) | Up to ~487 μm | Boiled doughs: dumplings (knedlíky), gnocchi-style noodles, homemade pasta |
You'll also come across celozrnná (wholegrain), špaldová (spelt), and výběrová polohrubá (fine "00"-style). Don't mix up the grinds: dumplings made with fine flour won't hold together, and coarse flour is a poor thickener.
Also watch for čerstvé mléko (fresh pasteurized, kept refrigerated) versus trvanlivé mléko (UHT, shelf-stable at room temperature).
| Label | Fat content | Use |
|---|---|---|
| smetana na vaření | ~12% | For cooking — sauces, soups. Won't whip. |
| smetana ke šlehání (šlehačka) | minimum 30%, "de luxe" up to 40% | Whipping cream; the higher the %, the stiffer the peaks. |
| zakysaná smetana | ~15% (minimum 10% by standard) | Sour cream — for borscht, potato pancakes, sauces. |
In Czechia, only a product containing at least 80% milk fat (the usual Czech standard is 82%), with no vegetable fats, can legally be called máslo. If the word máslo is missing from the packaging and instead you see large labels like roztíratelný, na pečení, rostlinný, or a fat content below 80% — it's most likely a směsný (blended) spread or rostlinný tuk (vegetable fat), not real butter. Spreadable butter-style products are a separate story. A popular product used to be called pomazánkové máslo, but following a 2014 EU Court of Justice ruling (Case C-37/11), the word "máslo" was banned from that name: it contains only around 31% milk fat, far below the 80% required for butter. Today it's sold as Tradiční pomazánkové — a dairy spread, but not butter. Similar-looking tubs without the word máslo often contain cheap vegetable fats and emulsifiers. A simple trick: flip the package over and read the složení (ingredients list).
Cheese labels show tuk v sušině (t.v.s.) — fat content in dry matter. This isn't the same as fat per 100 g of the actual product: the real fat content in the piece you're eating is lower than the t.v.s. figure.
Čerstvé droždí — fresh compressed yeast, sold as a 42 g cube, kept refrigerated. Sušené / instantní droždí — dried yeast in ~7 g sachets. Conversion: 1 cube (42 g) of fresh yeast ≈ 14 g dried ≈ 2 sachets of 7 g (roughly a 3:1 ratio of fresh to dried); one cube (or 14 g of dried yeast) is usually enough for 1 kg of flour.
| Czech word | Translation / cut |
|---|---|
| vepřové | pork |
| hovězí | beef |
| kuřecí / drůbeží | chicken / poultry |
| panenka | pork tenderloin |
| krkovice | neck/collar (for roasting and grilling) |
| kýta | leg/ham (rear cut) |
| plec | shoulder |
| bůček / bok | belly/flank |
| kližka | shank (for stewing, goulash) |
| prsa / stehna / křídla | breast / thighs / wings |
| mleté maso | ground/minced meat |
These are two different concepts, and confusing them can cost you.
If in doubt about freshness — don't risk it with "spotřebujte do," but with "minimální trvanlivost," trust your eyes and nose.
The EU requires labeling of 14 allergens (gluten, eggs, milk, nuts, soy, celery, mustard, etc.). In the ingredients list they're highlighted in bold, ALL CAPS, or underlined — easy to spot even without knowing Czech.
The first digit shows how the hens were kept: 0 — organic (bio), 1 — volný výběh (free range), 2 — halový/podestýlka (barn-raised), 3 — klecový (caged). Caged eggs (3) have nearly vanished from Czech supermarkets — major chains have voluntarily phased them out, and from 2027 caged egg production will be banned by law in Czechia. Next comes the country code (CZ — Czechia). Size on the package: S (up to 53 g), M (53–63 g), L (63–73 g), XL (over 73 g).
If you'd like to plan ahead for cheaper grocery shopping, check out our guide on where groceries are cheaper in Czechia. And if you need help translating a tricky label, contract, or official document, our translators can help.
The closest match is hladká (fine grind) — for sponge cakes, muffins, and thickening. For yeasted dough, use polohrubá.
hrubá (coarse grind). Fine flour won't hold dumplings together — they need coarser grain.
Look for the word máslo and a fat content of at least 80% (usually 82%). If máslo isn't stated, and instead it says "roztíratelný"/"rostlinný" or the fat content is under 80% — it's a blended or vegetable fat spread. The former "pomazánkové máslo" is now sold as Tradiční pomazánkové: a dairy spread (~31% fat), not butter.
It shows how the hens were raised: 0 — organic, 1 — free range, 2 — barn-raised, 3 — caged. Caged eggs (3) have almost disappeared from Czech chains, and this method will be banned by law from 2027.
Usually yes, if it was stored properly, the packaging is intact, and there's no off smell. But after spotřebujte do (the safety-based date), no.
It's the fat content in the dry matter, not per 100 g of the cheese. The actual fat in the piece you eat is lower than the stated t.v.s. figure.
Only smetana ke šlehání at 30%+ fat. "Smetana na vaření" (~12%) won't whip.
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