Tag: kyiv

Kiev (or Kyiv as it is more correctly spelt) is the capital of Ukraine. The city is a wonderful destination, one of golden spires, beautiful squares, great food and friendly people and then, when you least expect it, brutalist architecture from the Soviet era.

The unofficial symbol of the city is the horse chestnut tree which grows throughout.

The Kyiv cake, a dessert which contains nut, cream and chocolate is another popular symbol of the city. First made at the (former) Karl Marx Confectionary Factory in the city in 1956, the cake has become hugely popular throughout Ukraine. The top of the cake is a depiction in icing of the leaf of the horse chestnut tree in honour of the city.

Wherever we went in Kiev, there was always time for coffee and great food.

In particular, food from nearby Georgia has become deservedly popular in the city and it is one of the best cuisines we have come across. From Khachapuri (bread, cheese, eggs combined together) to Khinkali (meat filled dumplings), Georgian food is one of those cuisines which always satisfies.

Khachapuri

Khinkali should be eaten like this:-

Desserts are also a big part of Georgian culture and a slab of the popular Gozinaki (walnuts and honey – a bit like like a less cloying nougat) came out on top. 

Gozinaki

Cherry pie and ice cream came a close second.

Cherry pie

Each time we ate at a Georgian restaurant in the city, we were offered a complimentary starter of Pkhali, a vegetable dish of a pâté like consistency which can be made from various bases although the core ingredients will remain more or less the same. Our favourite version of the dish was based on beetroot combined with walnut, garlic, herbs and spices. If you don’t want beetroot, the dish can be prepared with carrot instead. Similarly, if you don’t like carrot, you can use spinach as the base and so on.

Beetroot Pkhali

A good recipe for Pkhali is here https://annavoloshyna.com/beet-pkhali-favorite-georgian-appetizer/

The Pkhali was washed down with a small glass of vodka (which was either fiery Georgian vodka distilled on the premises or a smoother commercially made Ukrainian vodka). As we ate, the house cat, a small friendly tabby, brushed past reminding us of the two other cats we had seen that day. One of those cats was represented by the handsome bronze statue of the legendary Persian, Pantusha, another symbol of the city of whom more below. The other cat was a small statue of the fearsome vodka swilling and cigar smoking beast of ‘The Master and Margarita’, the giant black cat Behemoth. The book was written by Kiev born Mikhail Bulgakov and it is one of the greatest works of Russian literature (although there is is an argument that the book is a work of Ukrainian fiction https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2008/dec/11/mikhail-bulgakov-ukraine-russia).

Nasty Behemoth

Whatever the argument, Kiev boasts a wonderful Bulgakov museum, a statue of the man and a small statue of the gigantic Behemoth of course.

Pantusha

The other statue of a cat in the city is that of the beloved Pantusha, a Persian sculpted in bronze which sits on its own pedestal near the Golden Gate monument (the monument being a representation of the 11th century ‘Great Gate of Kiev’ as referenced by the composer Mussorgsky). Now a cherished symbol of the city, Pantusha lived in a popular Italian restaurant near the Golden Gate monument. Loved by all the staff and diners, he was very much a part of the eating house. Unfortunately, the restaurant burnt down following an electrical fault and the wonderful Persian did not survive the fire. In his honour, patrons and staff commissioned a statue of him. The statue stands in front of the rebuilt restaurant. It has become something of a ritual amongst locals to make a wish in the cat’s ears and rub his back for good luck. As we sat with a coffee outside the restaurant, locals of all ages greeted Pantusha with a pat and a quiet word.

You will not get a nice comment from Behemoth of course and we certainly would not recommend a quiet word in his ears! If you are familiar with the book, you will know what we mean.

However,  we will leave the last word to him. 

“Is that vodka?” Margarita asked weakly. The cat jumped up in his seat with indignation. “I beg pardon, my queen,” he rasped, “Would I ever allow myself to offer vodka to a lady? This is pure alcohol!” *

* presumably the same fiery vodka we mentioned above?