Visitors now have a wide choice of cuisines (including French, Indian, Italian, Japanese or Thai), particularly in Kyiv.
National specialties:
• Borshch (beetroot soup).
• Varenniki (dough containing cheese, meat or fruit).
• Holubtsi (cabbage rolls).
• Chicken Kiev exists but is better known in the West.
National drinks:• Crimean wines are excellent, especially dessert wines such as
Krasny Kamen (‘Red Stone’).
•
Abrau and
Miskhako are excellent brands of cabernet.
•
Artyomov champagne (bottled
in eastern Ukraine).
• Fortified wines from Massandra, particularly one named ‘Black Doctor’.
Tipping: Tips and, if appropriate, small gifts are appreciated. Service is sometimes included in first-class restaurants and hotel bills.
NightlifeOpera is performed in the ornate theaters of Kyiv, Lviv and Odessa. Ukrainians have a deep-rooted musical tradition and singing is very popular. Most cities also have good musical comedy, puppet-theater and troupes performing theatrical works in Ukrainian and Russian. Tickets are cheap by Western standards and readily available on the day of performance at the box offices. Prominent visiting artists most often perform in Kyiv’s vast Ukraine Theater, where prices are higher.
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