What is oukrop in Czech cuisine?

Oukrop is an older Czech name for what most cooks now just call česnečka (garlic soup). The word goes back to village kitchens of Bohemia, where a broth of garlic, lard, caraway, and crusty bread was a winter staple. Oukrop tends to point at the thinner, peasant style, while česnečka often signals the heartier stew with potatoes and toppings.

In the clip, the chef pours beef broth over caramelized garlic and lard, drops cubed potato in with caraway, finishes with marjoram and an egg yolk, and labels it: « naš český dobrý oukrop. Neboli česneková polévka » (our good Czech oukrop, or garlic soup). The two names co-exist, peasant tradition next to modern shorthand.