Borscht is a sour soup built on meat or vegetable stock, common across Eastern, Central and Northern Asia. Its name comes from an ancient Slavic soup made from pickled stems, leaves and flower clusters of common hogweed, a wild plant of damp meadows. Over centuries it diversified into many tart soups, and beetroot became its signature ingredient, giving the Ukrainian version its red colour. Cabbage, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes are common additions, and it is often served with sour cream.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.