Traditional Czech pastry among world's top 100 dishes

A fruit pastry from Czechia's Wallachian region has secured a spot in the world's top 100 dishes, according to the latest TasteAtlas Awards ranking traditional eats based on more than one million reviews from food enthusiasts around the world.

Wallachian frgál placed 99th in the the latest rankings, making it the country's sole representative among the world's best dishes. Made of leavened dough and sprinkled with a sweet crumble, beat out thousands of to earn the recognition.

According to TasteAtlas reviewers, frgál impressed with its authenticity and flavor despite simple ingredients.

Frgál, which has held EU protected designation status since 2013, can only be labeled as "genuine Wallachian frgál" when produced in its traditional Moravian region. The pastry features a yeast-based dough topped with various fillings, most commonly pear, poppy seed, cottage cheese, or jam, with pear considered the original variety.

“The basis is mainly quality raw materials, milk, eggs, and flour," says confectioner Petra Stoklasová from the Valachy Resort, who has been baking frgál since she was 15 years old and now runs a workshop devoted to the dessert. "Our great-grandmothers used duck fat, but that has been replaced by classic butter," she adds.

The pastry's roots extend deep into Czech culinary history, with the first surviving mentions dating back to 1826. Interestingly, the term "frgál" originally referred to scraps or unsuccessful pieces of pastry.

Historical frgál featured savory fillings including cabbage, beets, and carrots, differing significantly from today's sweet varieties. Modern preparations typically include pear jam, cottage cheese, poppy seeds, jam, blueberries, and nuts.

In the capital, frgál is nowhere near as prevalent as koláče—its smaller, bite-sized sister.

Kolacherie, with bakeries in both the Old Town and New Town of Prague, is one of few spots, aside from the farmers markets, where you can try quality Wallachian-style frgál.

"Frgál is difficult to come by in Prague and maybe some other regions because it comes from a specific part of Czechia and not all people know it," Kolacherie owner Oscar Novák told us. "But we’re one of the few bakeries in Prague that do it."

When he first opened the Old Town store, Novák anticipated that American tourists in particular would fall for frgál as it resembles a sort of "sweet pizza." Nevertheless, tourists still charge into the bakery asking for trdelník, the famously un-Czech chimney cakes.

"We’re in the phase where we’re explaining classic koláče to tourists. Helping them discover frgál may be fun, and we’re working on that," he said.

TasteAtlas Awards annually compare hundreds of traditional dishes from around the world based on valid ratings for dishes in their database. The rankings place Colombian lechona in first place, followed by Neapolitan pizza and Brazilian picanha steak.