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The 4 "must buy" in a Czech supermarket for me: 1. Kofola classic 2. a local beer 3. the newest Birell Beer-Lemonade mix (they taste really good and helped me already to avoid a hangover, esp. when you drink it before you go to bed 😉) 4. A unknown but weirdly cheep candy (also often that waffle-chocolate-bars for less then 10Kc). Next time I look for Sojovy Suk 😁! Greetings from Germany!

Janku, takový drobný postřeh - Jesenka, piknik a pikao nejsou "dried milk" ale "condensed (and sweetened) milk". Sušené mléko existuje taky, ale to je v prášku - v podstatě Sunar.

The best candy bar I've ever eaten is Kofila! I love it, it has very strong yet sweet coffee flavor.

In Latvia you often have products with Estonian and Lithuanian names on them since we are small countries and product is sold in all of them. Used to be lot more Russian naming also but due to politics there are much less products also exported to Russian speaking markets

For Americans, the biggest surprise takes place at the cashiers. There are no baggers putting the groceries into the bag for you at the cashier. You are expected to do it yourself, while also handling the payment etc. It tends to become quite hectic in some stores. We are used to it, but Americans are always surprised.

When i go to czech supermarkets a few things are always on my bucket list: 1. Rohlik, kind of a roll. You can eat it with everything and its a super cheap czech basic. You can even start fire with it. It is so interessting how czech people pick up products with the simple hand in the bakery dept 😂 2. Kofola, not everyone likes it, kind of a Fanta Story but in this case with lack of original Coca-Cola in the communist era 3. Utopence in Glass, best to Beer 4. Yes Birell is great, love also polotmavy. 5. I always buy special czech beer latest one cerna barbora 6. Horcice / Mustard. The best is the one in the cheapest plastic, all czechs know what i mean 7. The big variety of "pomazanka" esp. the ones with garlic or eggs 8. Garlic Chips, i ve never seen in another country, they are so good, but you smell like hell 9. Yes also Olomouc tvaruzky, also in different varities. The original is named Olmützer Quargel and it is nearly the same like german Harzer Roller... and in the End a typical word in czech with german origin: Gsindl like Gesindel = rabble

I actually like Sojovy Suk. It's kinda like marzipan (texture and that vanilla like flavour) and not so sweet. When I (grandchild of Czech grandparents but from Germany) go on a Czech supermarket spree, it's always Slovak cheeses, Niva spread, rohliky, Kofola, Jesenka, Fidorka, Studentska, Sojovy Suk and Pernik. You could have also mentioned Karlovarske oplatky and Mattoni ;)

I remember the gum cigarettes, I loved them but they were so rare to come across.

US States have different alcohol laws per state. In many states, you can buy all your alcohol in the grocery store. One of the first things I check out when visiting a new country is the grocery stores. In my experience, there's very little difference overall with the basic products or how they're operated. The region specific products are where the fun begins.

8:41 Spíše by jsi měl cizincům vysvětlit proč v supermarketech u nás se objevují na cedulkách produktu dvě a někdy i tři cenovky, a která z nich ve skutečnosti na kase platí. Zrovna tady není cena 20 centů (5,90) ale ta vyšší 12,90 protože asi nemají zrovna nějakou tu kartičku. A co se týká té basy piva, tak tam se platí záloha nejen za sklo, ale i za přepravku.

Sojovy suk is the best!!! It is very hard to describe because there’s nothing quite like it. The texture is very similiar to play dough that has dried up just a little bit and it’s still soft. The taste is coconut forward with a rum essence, but very subtle. Overall I love it so much and I think that it’s very unique. For the price definitely worth trying even if you end up not liking it.

I think that first non alcoholic beer in Czech(oslovakia) was Pito, but Birrell is much more popular.

I've been here for three years (from UK) and still, the weirdest thing about the Czech supermarkets is that there will be a section for cheese, ham and sausages. You think "oh, that's a pretty small selection" and make a purchase anyway. Continue around the shop with your trolley... Oh, another section of different cheeses, hams and sausages. Continue again, and yep, you've guessed it, yet another section haha.

No way! I love sojový suk! I buy those by hundreds😂

You could mention Vinea - the wine grapes soda drink. It can be white or red (which is my favourite).

4:45 - Those sites are blocked because they would need to coply with GDPR and since they are mainly targeted for US customers, they just dont bother with making the site compliant.

Okay but I think Czech CHEESE is UNDERRATED. I love Olomoucké tvarůžky and Hermelin

I just want to try that dried milk sucky thing. Everything else was 100% normal.

About the bakery and "fresh pastries" - sure, it's much better than the pre-packaged stuff, but most times, it's nowhere near fresh - it's prebaked, deep frozen, then reheated in-store :)

2:13 This map is broken! There is Poland instead of the Czech Republic.

I'm from Germany, so the differences to Czech supermarkets are not that big. It's still fun to shop at our neighbors. That tube with dried milk? Does it have a chocolate milk flavor, too? We had that in Germany when I was a kid 40 years ago and I've been hoping for something similar ever since! And I will definitely try the weird candy roll, the Absinth mints and especially the smelly cheese. It's called Harzer here and I'm a fan. I'm interested if there are any differences. Oh, and I've been to the exact same Tesco ;)

4:09 "Here there's only one bottle of absinthe. In the city center, it's the other way around. So no, Czechs do not drink absinthe" I love that kinda of cultural insight, so thanks for the episode (looks like absinthe is just another tourist trap)! I remember an article written by a veteran traveler (Mr. Miles) saying that "going into a supermarket is like going into someone's house", since it tells you what people are buying (and even how often they're buying each thing, if you take the available quantities into account - just like you did with absinthe!). He also recommended (though it's probably outdated advice nowadays) to buy a newspaper (even if you don't understand the language), since it can give you a good idea of what kinda information people care about (depending on how long each section is, for example). 8:46 "Sójový suk" translates to "soy knot", but I've found it referred to as "soybean bar". The usage of "suk" as "knot" seems to specifically refer to "tree knot" (the base of a tree branch), so it looks like the candy is called that way because it resembles a tree knot. 9:24 The hašlerky coincidence (the fact it tastes like absinthe) is very amusing. The herb you mentioned is anise (anýz in Czech), and it is indeed a common ingredient of both.

The weirdest thing for me is always the sweets section with so many things we don't have in Austria. I always buy some of them when I'm in Czechia, even though most of them are not that good. The rest is pretty similar to home for me.

I really loved this episode. I appreciate you showing us around a Czech supermarket and so many interesting things! As a tourist, it would feel really overwhelming to shop in a supermarket for the locals.

For me the weirdest ever thing I've seen in any supermarket in the world, is that weird rabbit shaped piece of ham they sell in the Czech Republic during easter season.

Sójový suk is the best autism friendly candy. It taste always the same, always kinda like a dry wall, never over the top when it comes to flavour or texture. I honestly love it. It is not healthy at all but it is one of the best autism comfort food/candy ever made.

Sweetened milk paste in a tube? Genius! I really like exploring European markets.

I remember when I first moved here in 1991, I went to the supermarket and asked for otec (father) instead of ocet (vinegar). The lady there had no idea what I was asking her for. I was teaching English in a motorcycle factory in Strakonice for a year and a half and sometimes I would end the lesson with my advanced students by going to the grocery store and they would tell me what things were. They really enjoyed those kinds of hands on exercises, and it helped me too... Now it is often evident by the packaging, but back then the packaging lacked any identifying features. But I had to go to the self-service shops (samoobsluha) where I could pick and choose, because the other option was a shop where everything was behind the counter, and you had to tell the person working there what you wanted, pay for it, and then they would give it to you. When my Czech wasn't very good, it was not easy to shop there... I also loved going to the deli and getting one of the many mayonnaise-based salads, like my favourite Vlassky salat or simply Vlasak! Yum.

It's like a spinoof of most beglian supermarkets. Love that you brought up the smelly cheese. 1 small difference is that in Belgium. The beer section is ussually more limited and if you want something specific or fancy. You're better of going to a drinkscentral. Wine on the other hand gets a full row in almost all supermarkets except the cheaper ones like Aldi and Lidl. I'd love to see Czechia, so I'm gonna plan it for next year. Cheerz

That cheese is actually pretty amazing. In Austria, we use cheese like that to melt it with butter and milk and season it with caraway to turn it into a cheese spread, makes it even more aromatic and intense, and absolutely delicious.

We have same return of empty bottle and cutter bread here in Sweden and we had chocolate cigarets but not longer. So it is similar Sweden and czech

2:49 omg it is like champomy we have it in portugal and if your oarents allowed you to serve this in your birthday party, you would be considered the coolest kid on earth❤ It is a apple juice that has gas (like a coca cola) to make it look like wine. For obvious reasons, parents avoid buying this😂

I’m American and all the grocery stores sell fresh baked bread/pastries and they are all great. It’s not rare for most of the US to have a fresh bakery section in the US

I don't remember bubblegum cigarettes in Belgium, but we definately had chocolate cigarettes. The chocolate was generally horrible though.

Having lived in Andel, this supermarket is dear to me... the Nostalgia of buying a couple (Often 4-6) Litres of Kozel, and cracking them when I got to Lake Dzban was a memory I'll cherish for the rest of my days.

You unlocked some German 90s childhood memories with Robby Bubble and bubble gum cigarettes

Regarding supermarkets and alcohol in the US, what you commented on was in New Jersey. While we have states that have regulated alcohol to only be sold in specific stores or even state-owned stores (I believe Utah is similar with New Jersey in that respect), most states allow supermarkets to sell alcohol in the same manner as the Chech stores. I live in Arizona, and all of our grocery stores have at least one isle dedicated to alcohol. Same for our neighbor to the west of us, California. And a lot of states also allow for alcohol to be sold in convenience stores, like the little outlets that are part of gas stations.

As for alcohol being sold in grocery stores or not depends on which US state you are in. Some states, as was mentioned, sell alcohol only in state ran liquor stores. But most US states allow liquor to be sold in grocery stores.

I was in Czechia long ago and a friend ordered olomuc in a pub...I will never forget the smell and the fact that it was delivered under a cloche.

“Fresh” bread is made of frozen dough, all the markets do is bake them

I like that Olomoucký tvarůžek cheese as well. It is called Quargel here in Austria and you can also buy it in every supermarket. And yes, don't go on a date after eating it 😅. Btw. what I missed on your list are the Marlenka cakes. I think they are really special and I love them. When taking the CZ I love to eat them. I just try to avoid buying them in the supermarket, since someone told me, that those 800g packages are not 1 person serving packages 🫣

"Their language is just slightly off" 🤣 that burn

Our classics when on visit in CZ are venečky kakaové and oplátky čokoládové. Although these last ones are getting more expensive on every visit. I remember them long ago costing around Kčs 15 for 10 pieces in a luxurious metal box, now almost Kč 70 for 5 pieces. But we and our kids still love them. And of course a fresh koláč!

I LOVE the way you film and present your content! You are my happy place. Always a little smirk with all that funny/serious information. Love from Sweden

The fish salad in the deli freaked us out🤣 also, the anchovies that are rolled up with capers inside, they freak my family out, but I love them👍😂

Back in the day in the UK, we had chocolate sticks that looked like cigarettes that are no longer available

We have been to Prague a number of times but mainly focused on the pubs & the Absinthe shops. Will have a ‘proper’ look at the supermarkets next time. Big cheers from Melbourne 🍺🥂🍷!

I LOVE watching grocery store videos from around the world. THANKS for yours.

2:57 We do have Robby Bubble in Germany too!

0:27 it can't legally be called *bakery* if it doesn't bake the products from ingredients on location! It's just _oven_ that *defrosts* (an unpackaged bakery product that the operator has frozen in a finished state but is offered to the consumer in a thawed state), finishes by baking *from a chilled semi-product* or finishes by baking *from a frozen semi-product* (a bakery product produced elsewhere than in a bakery by baking from pre-baked chilled or frozen semi-finished product).

About the champagne for kids - I remembered as kid it was only for NY and it was awesome to have some process of drinking of special beverage just like an adult. And it was sweet, so double cool. But now I adore that in Latvia we have special non alcoholic sparkling beverage that looks not like those crazy-pink-too-much-sweet-for-kids-lemonades, but interesting sparkling drink in a champagne bottle - it's Mežezers from Livonia, that makes it from apple and other juices, makes its taste balanced (not too much sweet or too much sour), but interesting and sparkly. I bring it to all party's, because there's always someone driving and it definitely expands the experience of drinking in a company ❤️

Weird fact about 6:21: There's a non-alcoholic sparkling drink in Greece called "Μπυράλ", which is pronounced "Beerall". It's made by processing fruit pomace and adding sugar and carbon dioxide. It used to be very popular in post-war Greece until its popularity was superceded by Coca Cola. It's probably the closest thing to "Fanta Klassik" still being sold, though it doesn't have any whey.

Fresh in-store bakery that makes most, if not all, things from frozen semi-product that they either overbake or defrost in the store 😁 There's hardly any real fresh product in those aisles, though there are some, very rare, exceptions, like Globus and some things in Albert Hypermarkets (but not Supermarkets, to make things more confusing). But in most cases, there's nothing "fresh" about those "freshly baked products". It's just a customer trap in most cases. One that you should actually mention, Janek.

Your language is slightly off... Greetings from Slovakia! :D :D :D

Nice video with a wink, thank you. Much of this can also be found in other European supermarkets. A big difference to a German supermarket, however, is the open bread and baked goods. For hygiene reasons, in Germany you can only find this behind folding plexiglass compartments or with splash guards. Which is better when I think of some Alberts in Prague...

I think the thing I learned that wasn't mentioned in this video is that grocery stores across the United States (and Canada) vary greatly. You can buy alcohol in some states in the grocery store in a lot of states, including Massachusetts where I lived for 8 years. In Ontario, Canada you can only get liquor at the government owned liquor store. They recently allowed beer and wine at grocery stores, but this is limited and the government still retains most of the revenue. Bottle deposits exist in a lot of US states and Canadian provinces, but not all.

We can get "Kozel", beer, here in Canada also, along with "Pilsner Urquell", and some other Czech brands. In Canada and in the US, genuine "Budweiser", is labled as "Czechvar". We have family members that send us "Haslerky", they're good. Is there a checkout at that store that takes cash?

None of these are weird to me as I live in Slovakia, but another thing which people visiting may find strange is that you can open multi packs of drinks and just take 1 out like a six pack of beer

Three things: the automatic orange juice makers make the best juice anywhere. The LIDL/ADLI have the strangest organization for a grocery store. In the middle there can be anything like chainsaws to mechanics tools alongside vodka and cheese. The last is many stores want you to weigh and print the label for your vegetables and fruit prior to checking out so it can be scanned like everything else. The cashier gets grumpy when you don't and may quietly whisk the item to the side instead of adding it to the bill.

Thanks for this enjoyable and informative video! I've been to Prague six times, but I've never been in a Czech grocery store!

Sojový suk for the win! I actually loved it as a kid. There is nothing like it, the taste is really unique and delicious! :-)

When I'm in the Czech Republic, at least Kastany, Sladka, Kofila and - very important - Pardubicky Pernik (they're all sweets) always travel back to Germany with me. 😋

My New Jersey supermarket has a huge section, almost as big as some smaller grocery stores, that only sells alcohol.

Me, a Brit, watching a Czech guy walk into a supermarket and it's a Tesco, which used to have it's HQ down the road from me.

What I fund interesting regarding supermarkets is that Central Europe is so big on hops drinks like lemonades and alcoholic cocktails based in beer, like he showed. We certainly have them in Latvia but mainly it is cider country here. I was surprised when I was in Poland and it was actuall rather hard to find a good selection of ciders in stores as all kind of flavored drinks were actually beer based as it seemed or had very specific beer taste. Then again even if we have a big cider selection here in Latvia this is not very historic, they have exploded in popularity only during last 10 years or so.

I used to love "bílá kava" when I lived there 30 years ago. Not sure anymore what it was, but the kids drank it in the morning. I think it was made with grains (brandname Melta?), sugar, and coffee.

The majority of American grocery stores have bakeries! Also some states do sell alcohol in grocery stores like Meijer in Michigan.

Growing up in the Netherlands we used to have choclate sigarets during the Holliday period as a treat. Used to love them as a kid since it was a nice gimmick. Was banned years ago for obvious reasons

I am looking forward to my holiday in March to Prague. It isn't my first choice as I wanted to go to Brno but flights are only from London which I live noooooway near. I have found your videos extremely interesting and helpful. Looking at the Albert website I have found UK prices for similar/same products are 2 to 3 times more expensive when you convert Ck to GBP. One day my dream is to live in Vsetin, the home of my favourite Ice Hockey team. That is the fault of a Czech friend who came to the UK for a while and made me fall in love with the country and his home town. Sadly I have lost touch with him when he returned home and shortly before a certain virus hit our shores. I miss him greatly.

I think I also would like that flavorless candy bar

I miss shopping in Europe. The store you are shopping at reminds me of this store I visited in Croatia. Yes I bought all the beers even the plastic bottle ones. I bought most of the items you featured. Thank you.

I love "Sojový suk", just bought 5 of them when I visited the Czech Republic last time❣. I was just surprised that you called "Tvarůžky" 'smelly cheese'; all my American friends told me that they would call it 'stinky'. Thank you for the content. Cheers!

On the champagne-esque branding of that sparkling lemonade: we used to have chocolate sticks that were designed to look like cigarettes, in the UK Also, I visited the Budejovicky Budvar brewery in Ceske Budejovice this week for a tour and beer tasting, which was really cool!

Sojový suk is a bar that tastes somehow like marzipan and a touch of licorice and vanilla to me.

I so love this channel, I am not even skipping the commercial. Hahaha

Jesenka - Condensed Milk , I suck it until today. Vincentka we use for gargle when you are sick in throat.

I love Vincentka. The taste is just addictive.

I miss the antiperle. I can't find them anymore in any shop. I would have love to show my children the sweets we got from our family in cezch.

Oh my gosh, I used to go shopping there all the time when I lived in Prague, I spent 6 months living in Smichov.

When I was in Prague I got almost all of these. I also got paprikas sausage and it was so good. Also Becherovka, got it even in Poland.

My trip to Prague for New Years' 2018, I stayed at the Galerie Royale in Karlin (on Křižíkova). I decided to try and act like a local by going to the Albert market across the street. One thing I didn't realize until I was checking out was that they didn't have any plastic bags for me to carry the groceries back across the street. It was funny seeing me walk back across the street with snacks and toiletries stuffed in my jacket pockets...lol.

That smelly cheese looks exactly like the Harzer Käse that they sell in Germany! Very proteic and extreeeemely smelly :D

In Poland there was a time when some beers came in 1,5l plastic bottles. Cost/amount they were slithly cheaper but they didnt survive. When you poured then to three glasses at one, they didnt feel different than regular, but if You drank it from the bottle is was flat half the way

Not in this video but we thought all the jellied meats were pretty fun. They sell one style in a few select stores in Wisconsin USA....but we saw so much over there!

6:21 former CEO of Heineken once said that kids who grew up on sweet drinks like Coca-Cola, now as adults they don't want bitter beer anymore. Guess she was right, that's why lemonade flavour radler beer is in such demand...

During my first time in Czech Supermarket buying water I asked for water and the default if you ask water is sparkling water. I do love it, although I call it "SODA" but if you want non sparkling water you need to ask for it.... there is this system with the pink and blue cap, I dont remember if the blue is for sparkling or non sparkling. (need to come visit and check 🙂) But I love going to local Supermarket. I always get the stuff to bring back home from the local Supermarket and it is fun to see new products. you can find known brands but with different type of products and it is fun to see your own local stuff on sell in another county.

This is an interesting and well-presented series. If you have not already done so, it would be great if you could tell us about the language skills that foreign tourists will need when visiting your country.

what is funny for me is you can buy a lot of alcohol in the supermarket in czech but for a simple painkiller or bandage you need to go to the pharmacy

Sójový Suk is actually great 😢

Smart to specify New jersey. Too many people assume every state is the same when it's not.

we have in-house bakeries and everything too... but also a gigantic bread aisle. Least in the south.

The 'help yourself naked bread" shocked me!! Not in a million years here in Australia where there are rules and regulations to 'keep us safe' from EVERYTHING!!

I will not call it "fresh bread". In Poland, we have the same - it's frozen, up heated stuff. PS. Love your videos and still waiting for opportunity for visiting Czech Republic :)

We also have bakeries and fresh bread here in Chilean supermarkets, but we dont have SLICERS! We dont really have bread loaves so it was a big surprise for me when I lived in Prague.

In Germany there is also a different smelly cheese they are from the same type, it is called Handkäse or Harzer. And believe it or not in the Hessen area Handkäse is often pickled in vinegar, oil with onions and maybe pepper and is eaten nearly the same as the pickled camembert (hermelin) you get in czech restaurants. Only difference is that usually in the hessen area people mostly drink apple wine (which is different from cider) to it instead of beers. Love that stuff. :)

Not even mentioned Kofola :(

Sojový suk was apparently a communist attept to find a replacement for almond paste. They had the best intention, but it turned out as usual. If you are a foodie or so, go for it. It consist of soy (preferably GMO), high-fructose sirup, palm oil, rum aroma (suspected carcinogen) and bunch of stabilizers. Your kids will love it ❤

I remember (almost 2 decades ago) my American aunt was amazed how big the yogurt aisles are in the CZ and how small the breakfast cereal aisle is. I'd say it's still valid to this day.

I love browsing supermarkets when I travel and often stay in self catering flats.. Can you do a video on the best places to shop for food in Prague?