The ethnic cuisine of Abkhazia is not abundant but very tasty and various. Historically the cuisine development was affected by that fact that the Abkhazian tribes were occupied both by agriculture and cattle breeding. Therefore, they cooked vegetables and meat. Cotemporary Abkhazia consists of a distinctive Abkhazian culture that melds modernity and treasured old traditions, stately songs, and dances. In traditional Abkhazian homes called, patzha, you won't see much of the usual furniture to which Europeans are accustomed. Horns of bulls or deer, animal skins, garlands of red pepper, onions, and corn- these are the main elements of interior decoration. A fire burns on an earthen floor; meat is frying, cheese is being smoked, abysta (a thick corn mash) and beans are slowly boiling in a ket