This will certainly be an ethnocentric grocery entry, because I first saw the aisle of paštika and pomazánka (pâté and meat spread) and thought it was cat food. The tins are little and cute, with peel back covers and unintelligible (to me, the Anglo) ingredients. I peered at them, expecting to find a kitty licking its furry lips a la Fancy Feast. Ne ne, the spreads are for humans instead, and many of the pâtés have the Eiffle Tower on them, adding a little je ne sais quoi to their potential deliciousness. While scrutinizing brands at the Hypernova, My boyfriend assured me that Májka is a classic Czech pâté--indeed, no France reference in sight--though the original comes in a proper tin can. Made from pork liver and spices, it is usually eaten with rohlík (see Czech Out Aisle 2. Official definition is "pointed roll") as a snack.
As a rule I limit my liver consumption to less than once a month, and recently I ate a fried rabbit version for Sunday lunch. So I sampled the pikantni pomazánka (spicy tomato and pork spread) instead of the pâté.
(Note: Wikipedia says that Pâté "is a mixture of ground meat and fat minced into a spreadable paste", and liver is an optional addition)
The liverless variety tasted inexplicably like Prego tomato meat sauce, sort of spicy tomato-y with a strong sensation of animal, though it didn't seem to matter which one. Very salty, and definitely preservative tasting (I can't say I've actually sampled Fancy Feast, but...) pikantni pomazánka most resembles a lighter Spam, and perhaps if the '50's had been a little spicier, the U.S. might sell something similar to this, which is labeled Pro Labužníky (for the gourmand).
At less than 12 crown per tin, the gourmand here can save his cash for a sausage or two, and go home happy. I just hope he doesn't put his pâtés on the same shelf as Fluffy's food, though perhaps it would be no great mix-up.
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