God Is A Pickle: Šárka Camrdová on the art of Czech preserving and how the book came to life

03/2026 food & beverages

Prague-born food writer and editor, Šárka Otevřel Camrdová, explains how the book came to life and what creative direction they took with the photographer Marek Bartoš.

Šárka on the creation of God is a Pickle

I grew up in the Czech Republic, where home cooking and shared meals are a deeply rooted part of everyday life. Preserving is woven into that tradition as well – some of my earliest childhood memories involve my mom making tomato sauce and my grandmother pickling cucumbers and lingonberries for the winter. 

I wanted to create a work about something I know so intimately myself – and, on top of that, I truly enjoy both making it and eating it. When I started writing about food professionally many years ago, I noticed that pickling, fermenting, and canning were steadily gaining popularity. Today they’re among the biggest global food trends. I’ve always found it slightly amusing: why all the commotion around something so ordinary? Every Czech has a pantry full of homemade jams, compotes, and pickled mushrooms… But the more I thought about it, the more I understood that preserving is anything but mundane. It isn’t just a practical skill – it’s a form of diligence, persistence, creativity and joy. It’s also a living expression of seasonality and sustainability.

Preserves may now appear on restaurant menus and everywhere on social media, but it’s the Czechs who truly have it “in their blood.” Due to the country’s sociopolitical history (four decades under a totalitarian communist regime), preserving used to be a necessity. Cut off from the West, facing shortages of almost everything, and living in a strongly secularized society, people found a different kind of “religion” to devote themselves to – and perfected it down to the smallest detail.

Today, life in the Czech Republic is free and open again, but the passion for preserving has remained. What was once about survival has become a beloved hobby. Literally everyone preserves: elderly women in small Moravian villages and professional chefs in modern Prague restaurants. It’s fascinating! I’ve always found it a pity that, around the world, Czechia is recognized mainly for its beer – which is why I wanted to show that our skills go far beyond that.

God Is a Pickle is therefore a celebration of resilient Czech people who transform their harvest into preserves with almost devotional passion. It is a playful, light-hearted, and visually rich tribute to a nation that has long turned uncertainty and hardship into strength – yet has rarely received the acknowledgment it deserves, despite its vibrant culture, revived gastronomy, and strong craft traditions.

My aim was to highlight everything that this seemingly simple act embodies: in every jar there is work, pleasure, resourcefulness, gratitude, memory, and human stories. It is a yearly promise that when winter comes, we will be prepared – something sweet, sour, or savory will be waiting on the shelf to remind us that summer will return and the sun will shine again. Preserving may be humble, but it is never trivial. It keeps us grounded, yet somehow lifts us beyond ourselves.

What is the motivation behind the recipes?

The book features two types of recipes: preserves, and full dishes (soups, salads, mains, and desserts) that make use of those preserves. The preserves include traditional Czech classics as well as versions with a modern twist. The dishes reflect what is commonly cooked and eaten in the Czech Republic – everything from fresh, lighter meals to comforting, heartier ones. It’s a mix of quick, everyday recipes and more complex dishes.

Over the years, I gathered all the recipes from specific people (the stories of some of them are captured in the book portraits as well). That said, most of the recipes come from family collections, having been tested over generations. The original and more contemporary approach to preserving is reflected in the recipes shared by chefs from renowned Czech restaurants.

The recipes make use primarily of fruit and vegetables. The book is intentionally divided by seasons, so readers can use it throughout the entire year. In addition to recipes, the book includes sections on techniques and ingredients. This makes it accessible for complete beginners while offering plenty of inspiration to experienced cooks and food lovers.

What is the style and language of the photos in the book?

The photography in the book comes from three different approaches that naturally shape the whole visual tone. Part of the images were shot in the studio, where I focused mainly on the food itself – simple compositions, harder light that feels like real sunlight, and an emphasis on texture and detail.

Then there are the dishes photographed on location. Here the goal wasn’t perfection but atmosphere: real kitchens, gardens, old tiles, summer shadows… The places where food is actually made and preserved. The last layer is documentary and portraits. With these I like to mix black-and-white with stronger, more colourful compositions. It brings rhythm to the book and shows the people in their real environments: the hands, the gestures, the spaces that shape their stories.

Some of this comes from my own childhood. I spent my early years in the Czech Republic before the Velvet Revolution. Most weekends and holidays we stayed at old family cottages, and I remember spending endless hours in the kitchen and the garden. We always had a pantry full of things we had made ourselves. So for me, preserving isn’t just a topic, it’s something I grew up with, something I’m emotionally connected to.

- Šárka Otevřel Camrdová

Get your copy of God is a Pickle now.