Czechs love fried cheese: The local obsession that inspired McDonald’s Sýrovka

In Czechia, cheese is not simply relegated to a topping, because a block of fried cheese is a perfectly acceptable main course. Crispy on the outside, melty on the inside and ideally served with plenty of tartar sauce, it’s found on menus across the country. Add fries, and there’s no need to ask what else is for dinner.

Smažený sýr, affectionately known as smažák, is one of Czech cuisine’s most recognizable dishes. For visitors or those who have relocated from abroad, ordering it feels like getting away with something, but for locals who grew up eating it, there’s little to explain.

This enthusiasm for cheese is part of why McDonald’s devotes an entire season to it. From Oct. 29, restaurants in Czechia and Slovakia will offer its biggest cheese-season selection yet. Returning burgers join fried cheese specialties, grilled Hermelín and a new dip with room for an entire burger.

Known as Sýrovka, McDonald’s cheese season has developed its own loyal following, with customers asking about its arrival months in advance.

“Czechs simply love cheese flavors, and that is what cheese season has been built on for more than 15 years,” explains Jan Diehel, Chief Marketing Officer for McDonald’s Czechia and Slovakia. “During that time, it has become one of our most distinctive local concepts.”

McDonald’s opened its first Czech restaurant on Prague’s Vodičkova Street in 1992. More than three decades later, its autumn menu draws on dishes customers already know from local pubs and takeaway counters with cheese that’s fried, grilled and melted into sauces.

Hungry cheese fans can choose from three Cheese King variants: beef with fried cheese, Cheese King Chicken with crispy fried cheese, or Cheese King with grilled Hermelín and cranberry sauce, returning after a two-year break. Swiss King combines beef with a cheese bun, potato rösti, bacon, cheese and cheese sauce.

This year, McDonald’s offers its widest cheese selection in history. Smažák Fresh returns after a one-year break, while Hermelínky cheese bites and the Slovak-inspired Oštiepok are also back on the menu.

Both Hermelínky and Oštiepok feature in the Cheese Sharing Box. There are also McFlavor Fries with cheese and bacon, plus cranberry sauce for a sweeter accompaniment to the cheese dishes.

This year’s newcomer, Cheesy Dip, takes the dipping possibilities further. McDonald’s is offering cheese sauce in a large cup for the first time, with enough room to dip an entire burger. Fries are an option, too, if you would rather start small.

One more item, inspired by a popular local classic, is revealed exclusively through the McDonald’s app and McDonald’s social media.

There are plenty of Czech customs that can leave newcomers puzzled at first. Fried cheese probably will not be one of them for long, because you don’t need a lot of cultural decoding when your entree consists of crisp fried breadcrumbs and hot melted cheese.

And perhaps that is where smažák and Sýrovka ultimately meet. One is a Czech classic that has been around for generations, the other has spent more than 15 years becoming an autumn tradition of its own. Both are built around a simple idea that sometimes, cheese deserves to be the main event.