Shorpa is a meat and vegetable soup. Ishkiykli are dough balls filled with meat and onion which are traditionally cooked in sand that has been heated by a fire. On the shores of the Caspian Sea, seafood is often substituted for mutton in traditional dishes such as plov. In the west of Turkmenistan there is a speciality in which mutton is roasted in a clay oven fired with aromatic woods. Pirmeni , originating in Ukraine, are small boiled noodle sacks of meat and vegetables similar to ravioli, sometimes served in a vegetable soup.
Green tea is very popular and can be obtained almost anywhere.
Kefir , a thick drinking yoghurt, is often served with breakfast. Ashgabat has an opera and ballet theatre, which shows both Russian and European works and a drama theatre. There are also a few restaurants offering dancing. The Sunday market is the best place in the world to buy the misleadingly named Bukhara rugs, which are actually made in Turkmenistan. There is a shop in the Art Gallery which sells traditional Turkmen handicrafts, silver and costumes including the distinctive Turkmen sheepskin hats.