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Pork crackling spread, or škvarková pomazánka, is a side dish you are sure to find in nearly every Czech pub. The spread, made of ground pork cracklings, lard and finely chopped onion, is usually served on a slice of bread. While not exactly a healthy choice, it does taste rather delicious, especially when paired with a cold glass of beer.

Czech scientists are currently carrying out research on the site of the devastating fire in the Bohemian Switzerland national park that ravaged over 1,000 hectares of forestland last month. They are collecting and analysing the ashes, as well as studying the rare fire-loving fungi and mosses that have sprouted from the burnt soil.

Most Westerners are grossed out by the idea of eating insects. But Czech start-up Grig, which produces and sells insect food products, wants to convince consumers otherwise – and they are having some remarkable success, including having their products offered as part of Czech Railways’ on-board snack selection.

A huge bell, weighing exactly 9801 kg and 258cm in diameter, was unveiled in Prague on Sunday evening. It is a tribute to the exactly 9,801 bells that were stolen by the Nazis during WWII and melted down to be made into weapons.

A video created by a team of scientists from the BIOCEV centre on the outskirts of Prague has won the “Science in Shorts” competition, organised by the prestigious scientific journal Nature. The minute-long video, which explores the role of iron particles in the human body, had to face off against a wide-range of international competition before it was shortlisted by a jury and picked as the final winner by a public vote.

Jewish athlete Kurt Epstein played on the Czechoslovak water polo team and represented the country at two Olympic Games, including the 1936 “Nazi Olympics” in Berlin. Epstein is the subject of a new exhibition set to open at the Terezín Ghetto Museum next week. It has been put together by his daughter Helen Epstein, who previously wrote a book about him entitled A Jewish Athlete: Swimming Against Stereotype in 20th Century Europe. The author spoke to me from her home in the US.

This year marks exactly three decades since the first premiere of the famous musical Les Misérables (in Czech Bídníci) took place at Prague’s Vinohrady Theatre. The success of the show would lead to musicals becoming a mainstay on the Czech culture scene.

Statistics in recent years have shown that there is a growing number of Indians, both students and professionals that are moving to and living in Czechia. Why is that? And what are Czech-Indian relations like in general? To find out more, I spoke to Dr Eliška Žigová, who served as the head of the Asia-Pacific Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before being appointed as the country’s ambassador to India earlier this year. I began by asking her how she felt about being appointed as the Czech Republic to the most populous country in the world.

26 August is International Dog Day – and in celebration of this momentous event, our reporter and resident dog lover Anna Fodor decided to venture out around the city to talk to foreigners who have dogs about what it’s like living with a canine companion in Czechia.

This week marks exactly half a year since refugees started pouring into the EU after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Czechia has so far provided refuge to more than 400,000 Ukrainians, mainly women and children. How are they doing now and have they been able to find work or study opportunities here? These are just some of the questions that Czech Radio put to several Ukrainian refugees.