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Belarus :: Culture and Food

Languages Spoken: Belarusian, Russian.
Tour guides and service professionals in tourist-oriented facilities are very likely to speak English.

Religions: Eastern Orthodox 80%, other (including Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim) 20%

People and Culture: Belarusians are justifiably proud of their book-publishing history, with Belarusian bibles among the first books printed in Eastern Europe. Belarusian writers of the last few centuries include Jakub Kolas and Natalla Arseneva, author of Beneath the Blue Sky. No longer driven underground by the Soviets, literature is now experiencing revival. The country's musical tradition dates at least as far back as the 12th century's Orthodox hymns, with folk music also famous and not to be missed if you get the chance. The Minsk opera and ballet companies are internationally known. The country's geographical position has resulted in its population being about two-thirds Eastern Orthodox and one-third Roman Catholic, with a smattering of Protestants, Muslims (Tatars) and Jews. Its people speak Belarusian-a victory, as the Soviets tried to make Russian the only language Belarusians knew-and Belarusian history and literature is again becoming known, although most still speak Russian. Mushroom gathering ranks almost as a national pastime.

A resident or national of Belarus is called "Belarusian". The Term used to describe things from here is "Belarusian". For example, "Belarusian food".

Tipping and Bargaining: Tipping is accepted

Restaurants:	Sometimes a 10 - 15 % tip is added to the bill, otherwise 10% is customary
*Porters:	$1 - $2 us is expected
Taxi:	Round up

* Try to use local currency. Foreign coins cannot be exchanged and will be useless to the person receiving them. Foreign paper money requires a trip to the bank for exchange. However paper US dollars are accepted almost universally.

Food

Food: Borsht takes pride of place in any description of Belarusian food, although filet Ã la Minsk and Minsk cutlet, a soup called mochanka, draniki, which is served with pickled berries and any dish with mushrooms (there are many) are all delicious experiences. The humble potato is the centre-piece of the cuisine with mushrooms and berries often served on the side. International and Russian foods are also easy to come by. Some of BelarusÂ’ favourite mushroom dishes are hrybi v smtane (mushrooms with sour cream), hribnoy sup (mushroom and barley soup) and kotleta pokrestyansky (pork cutlet with mushroom sauce). You may enjoy drinking kvas, made from malt flour, sugar, mint and fruit, chai (black tea) and coffee, or Beloveszhskaya Bitters, made from over 100 different herbs and have an interesting flavour. Other drinks common in the West are also available, including beer and of course vodka.

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