Kyselá

Kyselé is a Czech adjective meaning sour or tart. It is used to describe foods and drinks whose taste or texture arises from fermentation or acidification, most often due to lactic acid bacteria. The term appears in many compound names, such as kyselé zelí (sauerkraut), kyselé mléko (soured milk), and kyselé okurky (pickled cucumbers).

In linguistic use, kyselé functions as a descriptive modifier and can be applied to various neuter or feminine-noun phrases where the sour characteristic is inherent. The form kyselé is common in neutral singular neuter and also in feminine plural contexts, reflecting standard Czech agreement patterns.

Etymologically, kyselé derives from the root kys- meaning sour, related to Proto-Slavic roots for sourness. It forms part of a broader family of terms describing taste and acidity across Slavic languages, and it remains a productive descriptor in modern Czech.

Culinaryly, kyselé zelí is a traditional fermented cabbage product produced by shredding cabbage with salt and allowing lactic fermentation in brine; it is a staple in Central European cuisine and used as a side dish or component in various meals. Kyselé mléko refers to sour milk beverages produced by fermentation, historically used as a dairy product and now common in some regional diets. Kyselé okurky denotes cucumbers fermented in brine, yielding a tangy, preserved snack. Overall, the concept of kyselé captures a broad range of sour-tasting, fermentation-derived foods characteristic of Czech and Central European food culture.