Czech cuisine includes a variety of staples, dishes, beverages, and snacks which are typical of the broader Central European region. Many dishes are heavily influenced by historical shifts in the availability of various ingredients, particularly during the communist era of Czechoslovakia. Due to Czechia's central location in Europe, recipes were exchanged by ethnic minorities, new settlers, in border towns, leading to a cuisine with amorphous borders and regional dishes spreading beyond Czech lands. Recipes also served as cultural capital, playing a role in the building of communities and of relationships between these communities.

The body of Czech meals typically consists of at least two courses; the first course traditionally being soup, and the second course being the main dish. Third courses often consisted of a sweet dessert or compote (kompot) on more festive occasions.^{[citation needed]}

In Czech cuisine, thick soups are accompanied by stewed vegetables and meats in gravies and cream sauces. Czech cuisine has a reputation for having sweeter main courses than dishes in surrounding countries.^{[citation needed]} Meals are often accompanied by alcoholic drinks such as beer or wine.

The 19th-century Czech language cookbook Pražská kuchařka by Karolína Vávrová shows influences of French cuisine in the order of multi-course meals common throughout the Habsburg monarchy, beginning with soup, followed by fish entrees, meat and sweets. Vávrová deviates from this standard order for the sweets of Mehlspeisen type. These flour-based sweets, including baked puddings, strudels, doughnuts and souffles could be served either before or after the roast meats, but stewed fruits, creamy desserts, cakes, ice cream, and cookies were to always be served after the roast and for multiple dessert courses would follow this stated order.

After gaining independence from Austria-Hungary, early Czechoslovakia featured as a period of cultural exchange between Czechia and Slovakia. Dishes from Slovakia such as halušky and bryndza increased their spread in Czechia. The latter part of Czechoslovakia's culinary history was marked by austerity measures put in place during the communist era. The focus of Czech cuisine shifted towards heavy dishes featuring few but reliable and filling ingredients. However, the development of Czech cuisine was not stagnant, as proximity to other countries in the Eastern Bloc also facilitated the movement of cuisine and culinary traditions across the region.

After the fall of the communist regime and separation of Czechia from Slovakia, new products and ingredients entered the Czech market, though many communist-era products (e.g. Kofola, Malinovka) retained popularity. Czech culinary identity was also called back into question during the modern era, as many sought to reconnect with pre-socialist culinary roots despite the loss of many culinary traditions through austerity.

Although Czech cuisine has a reputation for the heavy presence of meats and starches, the Czech diet has slowly shifted towards incorporating more fruits, vegetables, and dairy products in the daily diet. The proportion of the diet consisting of wheat products and potatoes has decreased, while meat consumption has decreased slightly and shifted away from red meats towards leaner meats such as poultry.

Foraging and hunting play a role, particularly in the diet of rural communities. Mushrooms are often used in Czech cuisine and are often foraged in the autumn. Boletes are among the most commonly picked mushrooms. Berries are also foraged, including blueberries, cranberries, and raspberries/blackberries.