The Seemingly Gross Fish Dish Rick Steves Tried In The Czech Republic That Is 'Remarkably Tasty'

When you order the fried fish special at a Czech pub, it might not be the fillet you expected. Visitors to the Czech Republic (also known as Czechia) often head to cities like Prague, known for having one of the most awe-inspiring castles in Europe, but those who venture into village markets and local taverns will find a deep-rooted food and drink culture that's just as layered as the country's architecture. On the more familiar side of tastings, travel writer Rick Steves considers the Czech Republic to have the best beer in Europe. But some items take a more unexpected turn — that's where the dish called mlíčí falls, a Czech delicacy made of fried carp sperm.

On a trip to Třeboň, which Steves called the Czech Republic's "fish capital," he described trying mlíčí in his blog: "Remarkably, fried fish sperm is tasty — similar to fried oyster." Carp itself has a big role in Czech cuisine. It's a tradition to eat carp at Christmas, usually breaded and fried. Since the Czech Republic is a landlocked country, freshwater fish like carp are most obtainable and commonly farmed in local ponds. Around the holidays, it's not unusual to see markets with live carp sold from tanks, and people traditionally would keep the fish alive at home in their bathtub until it's ready to be cooked. As for the carp sperm, known as milt, it's surprisingly considered one of the best-tasting parts of the fish. It can be served fried, as in mlíčí, or added to other dishes like carp soup to enhance the flavor.

You're most likely to find mlíčí on the menu at a pub or restaurant in the city of Třeboň, where Rick Steves himself tried it. Třeboň's history is steeped in fish cuisine, so much so that its main square has a statue of a man carrying a fish. Back in the 1300s, the nobles who presided over Třeboň transformed the region's flood-prone marshes into a carefully planned system of fishponds. Fish, naturally, became a local staple. As Steves put it, "Like the Italians do with pasta, the Czechs of Třeboň cook fish with both passion and variety."

One of the top-rated spots where you can get mlíčí is Restaurant Bílý jednorožec, which holds 4.8 stars on Tripadvisor. The restaurant, located within a spa and hotel building, specializes in traditional Czech fish dishes. On the menu, you'll find carp milt served with dill butter, alongside other carp-centric offerings like carp soup and cooked carp with stewed vegetables. The restaurant is just a 2-minute walk from Třeboň's main square, Masaryk Square.

To get to Třeboň, it's about a 2-hour drive from Prague's Václav Havel Airport. You can easily travel from Prague to Třeboň by train with Czech Railways, too, in just over two hours. While you're in town, it's worth checking out the famed fishponds at the Třeboň Basin, a biosphere reserve with some hiking trails about a 25-minute drive south of the city. If you plan on exploring more of the Czech Republic, you can follow in Rick Steves' footsteps to one of his favorite day trips from Prague, the medieval town Kutná Hora.