What's in a Prague street name

Šípková was built in 1972.

‘Šípek’ is rose hip – also known as rose haw. It’s the fleshy ‘false fruit’ of wild roses. It forms in the spring or summer, after pollination has occurred, and then ripens through to the autumn.

(‘False fruit’ apparently means that it’s a composite fruit, formed thanks to the involvement of other parts of the flower)

Rose hip is edible if you avoid eating the hairs (but they are not in any way pointless, as, for example, they can be used as itching powder). And, of course, you may have had it in herbal tea (or, if you’ve spent time in Sweden, in soup).

It has multiple uses in food – it can be a part of pies, jams, syrups and wine, for example. In the immediate region, it’s a key component of pálinka, a fruit brandy.

And, then, in Slovenia, it’s the main ingredient of Cockta, which is pretty much to Slovenia (and the former Yugoslavia) what Kofola is to Czech-o-Slovakia, except it doesn’t contain caffeine.