Jednoduchý špenát se smetanou a bramborami

What is “jíška” in Czech cooking?

Watch this creamy spinach dish come together and you’ll meet the engine of Czech home cooking: jíška. The cook stirs flour into butter to make a máslová jíška (butter roux), then pours in cream so it thickens into a sauce. A jíška is simply flour cooked in fat, but it’s the backbone of countless Czech omáčky (sauces) and creamed vegetable dishes.

If you’ve eaten svíčková or thick Czech soups, you’ve tasted jíška at work. The clip pairs the creamed špenát (spinach) with brambory (potatoes), and note the affectionate diminutive bramborek for “little potatoes,” the kind of tender word Czech sprinkles everywhere. Master jíška and you can follow almost any Czech recipe.