samovar

A Samovar typically is made of iron, copper, polished brass, bronze, silver, gold, tin, or nickel — and consists of a body, base and chimney, cover and steam vent, handles, tap and key, crown and ring, chimney extension and cap, drip-bowl, and teapot. The body shape can be an urn, krater, barrel, cylinder, or sphere. Sizes and designs vary, from very large capacity to smaller family-sized vessels, holding {{convert|4|L|USgal}}, and those of a modest {{convert|1|L|USgal}} size.{{Cite web|title=Из какого металла изготавливают самовары?|url=https://www.samovarnie-tradicii.ru/page/iz-kakikh-metallov-izgotavlivaetsya-samovar|access-date=2021-02-12|website=www.samovarnie-tradicii.ru}}

A traditional samovar consists of a large metal container with a tap near the bottom and a metal pipe running vertically through the middle. The pipe is filled with solid fuel which is ignited to heat the water in the surrounding container. A small (6 to 8 inch/15 to 20 cm) smoke-stack is put on the top to ensure draft. After the water boils and the fire is extinguished, the smoke-stack can be removed and a teapot placed on top to be heated by the rising hot air. The teapot is used to brew a strong concentrate of tea known as zavarka (заварка). The tea is served by diluting this concentrate with boiled water from the main container, usually at a water-to-tea ratio of 10-to-1, varying to taste.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}

File:Kustodiev Merchants Wife.jpg, showcasing Russian tea culture]]

File:Samovar with painting.jpg

The origin and history of the samovar prior to the 18th century is unknown.

Connections exist to a similar Greek water-heater of classical antiquity, the autepsa, a vase with a central tube for coal.

The Russian tradition was probably influenced by Byzantine and Central Asian cultures.{{Cite book|title=Food culture in Russia and Central Asia|page=126|author=Mack, Glenn Randall|date=2005|publisher=Greenwood Press|others=Surina, Asele.|isbn=0313327734|location=Westport, Conn.|oclc=57731170}} Conversely, Russian culture also influenced Asian, Western European and Byzantine cultures.

"Samovar-like" pottery found in Shaki, Azerbaijan in 1989 was estimated to be at least 3,600 years old. While it differed from modern samovars in many respects, it contained the distinguishing functional feature of an inner cylindrical tube that increased the area available for heating the water. Unlike modern samovars, the tube was not closed from below, and so the device relied on an external fire (i.e. by placing it above the flame) instead of carrying its fuel and fire internally.[http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/83_folder/83_articles/83_samovar.html "Birth of the Samovar?"], Azerbaijan International, Autumn 2000 (8.3) Pages 42-44 (retrieved June 7, 2017)

The first historically recorded samovar-makers were the Russian Lisitsyn brothers, Ivan Fyodorovich and Nazar Fyodorovich. From their childhood they were engaged in metalworking at the brass factory of their father, Fyodor Ivanovich Lisitsyn. In 1778 they made a samovar, and the same year Nazar Lisitsyn registered the first samovar-making factory in Russia. They may not have been the inventors of the samovar, but they were the first documented samovar-makers, and their various and beautiful samovar designs became very influential throughout the later history of samovar-making.{{Citation | url = http://www.tula.rodgor.ru/gazeta/659/history/2837/ | contribution = Самовары Лисицыных (Lisitsyns Samovars) | title = Sloboda | place = Tula, Russia | language = ru | access-date = 16 January 2010 | archive-date = 1 February 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100201154710/http://www.tula.rodgor.ru/gazeta/659/history/2837 | url-status = dead }}{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=R. E. F.|last2=Christian|first2=David|title=Bread and Salt: A Social and Economic History of Food and Drink in Russia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DKw8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA240|year=1984|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-0-521-25812-8|page=240}}

These and other early producers lived in Tula, a city known for its metalworkers and arms-makers. Since the 18th century Tula has been also the main center of Russian samovar production, with tul'sky samovar being the brand mark of the city. A Russian saying equivalent to "carrying coal to Newcastle" is "to travel to Tula with one's own samovar". Although Central Russia and the Ural region were among the first Samovar producers, over time several samovar producers emerged all over Russia, which gave the samovar its different local characteristics.{{Cite web|url=https://www.shopsamovar.com/hystory/samovar-manufacture/|title=History of the Tula Samovars - the Samovar and Tula are inseparable {{!}} Russian Samovar Manufacturing samovars - Coal samovars, Electric samovars, Exclusive samovars, Antique samovars|website=www.shopsamovar.com|language=ru|access-date=2018-10-11}} By the 19th century samovars were already a common feature of Russian tea culture. They were produced in large numbers and exported to Central Asia and other regions.

The samovar was an important attribute of Russian households and taverns to tea-drinking. It was used by all classes, from the poorest peasants up to the most well-suited people.{{Cite web|url=http://www.russianamericancompany.com/russian-samovars-info/|title=Information about Russian Samovars|website=www.russianamericancompany.com|language=en|access-date=2018-09-07}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.fortross.org/lib/57/the-samovar-history-and-use.pdf|title=The Samovar History and Use|last=Barry|first=Mary J.|website=fortross.org}} The Russian expression "to have a sit by the samovar" means to have a leisurely talk while drinking tea from a samovar. In everyday use samovars were an economical permanent source of hot water in older times. Various slow-burning items could be used for fuel, such as charcoal or dry pinecones. When not in use, the fire in the samovar pipe faintly smouldered. As needed it could be quickly rekindled with the help of bellows. Although a Russian jackboot сапог (sapog) could be used for this purpose, bellows were manufactured specifically for use on samovars.{{Cite journal|url = http://stars.library.ucf.edu/ahistoryofcentralfloridapodcast/20/|title = Episode 19 Russian Samovar|date = June 5, 2014|access-date = January 24, 2016|journal = A History of Central Florida Podcast|last = Kelley|first = Katie}} Today samovars are popular souvenirs among tourists in Russia.{{Cite news|url=https://russiable.com/souvenirs-russia/|title=Which souvenirs to buy in Russia? From Matrioskas to Cheburashka|date=2017-01-28|work=Russiable|access-date=2018-11-04|language=en-US}}

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File:1989 CPA 6043.jpg|Baroque samovar, 18th century Samovars, from a 1989 series of USSR postage stamps

File:1989 CPA 6044.jpg|Barrel type samovar, early 1800s, from a 1989 series of USSR postage stamps

File:1989 CPA 6045.jpg|"Squash" type samovar, c. 1830, from a 1989 series of USSR postage stamps

File:1989 CPA 6046.jpg|Samovar in the form of a classical vase, c. 1840, from a 1989 series of USSR postage stamps

File:Golsen samovar with cup.jpg|Russian silver & enamel samovar with cup & tray, late 19th century

File:Samovar by Georg Stephan Dorffer, Wurzburg, between 1771-1824 - Mainfränkisches Museum - Würzburg, Germany - DSC04536.jpg|Samovar by Georg Stephan Dorffer, German museum

File:Samovar with teapot.jpg|Samovar with teapot in Riga, Latvia. Latvia was influenced by the Russian culture and there still exists a Russian-speaking community.

File:Keramický samovar, Gželjský keramický závod, Rusko 02.JPG|Samovar made out of ceramic (Gzhel samovar)

File:Samovar01.jpg|Samovar of old production

File:Samovar shar.jpg|Samovar in Tomsk museum

File:Doma. Samovar na stole.jpg|Samovar on table. Art by Russian painter Sergei Smirnov, made in 1981

The Russian word was adopted as {{langx|fa|سماور}} samovar, and {{langx|tr|semaver}}.

File:Isfahan 1210946 nevit.jpg, Iran]]

Samovar culture has an analog in Iran and is maintained by expatriates around the world. In Iran, samovars have been used for at least two centuries (roughly since the era of close political and ethnic contact between Russia and Iran started), and electrical, oil-burning or natural gas-consuming samovars are still common. Samovar is samăvar in Persian. Iranian craftsmen used Persian art motifs in their samovar production. The Iranian city of Borujerd has been the main centre of samovar production and a few workshops still produce hand-made samovars. Borujerd's samovars are often made with German silver, in keeping with the famous Varsho-Sazi artistic style. The art samovars of Borujerd are often displayed in Iranian and Western museums as illustrations of Iranian art and handicraft.{{cite book|last=Bandehy|first=Lily|title=Tasteful memories of Persia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=09PgCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA170|access-date=16 June 2016|year=2016|publisher=EBN SelfPublishing|isbn=978-82-92527-26-9|page=170}}

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Kashmiri samovars are made of copper with engraved or embossed calligraphic motifs. In fact in Kashmir, there were two variants of samovar. The copper samovar was used by Muslims and that of brass was used by local Hindus called Kashmiri Pandit. The brass samovars were nickel-plated inside.{{cite web |title= Original Kashmiri Samovar |url= http://www.kashmir.net/handicrafts/cu.html |publisher= Kashmir.net |date= 8 June 2012 |access-date= 8 June 2012 |archive-date= 2 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201002144420/http://www.kashmir.net/handicrafts/cu.html |url-status= dead }} Inside a samovar there is a fire-container in which charcoal and live coals are placed. Around the fire-container there is a space for water to boil. Green tea leaves, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon are put into the water.{{cite web |title= Kashmiri Samovar |url=http://www.koausa.org/Misc/Samovar.html |publisher= kousa.org |date=8 June 2012}}

File:Caydanlik.jpg

Turkish samovars are popular souvenirs among tourists, and charcoal burning samovars are still popular in rural areas. However, in modern homes, they have been replaced with the çaydanlık ({{lit|teapot}}), a metal teapot with a smaller teapot on top taking the place of the cap of the lower one. To make Turkish tea, the lower part is used to boil the water and the upper part, called demlik is used for concentrated tea. Tea is poured first from the demlik and then diluted to the desired level with plain boiling water from the lower tea kettle. The body is traditionally made of brass or copper, occasionally also silver or gold, but çaydanlık are now also made from stainless steel, aluminium, or ceramics with plastic, steel or aluminium handles.

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File:Turkish samovar 2-1.jpg

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File:Semaver.JPG

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• {{translit|grc|Authepsa}}
• Kelly Kettle
• Percolator

{{reflist}}

• {{Citation | last = Israfil | first = Nabi | year = 1990 | title = Samovars: The Art of the Russian Metal Workers | publisher = Fil Caravan | isbn = 978-0-9629138-0-8}}.

{{Commons category|Samovars}}

{{Wiktionary|samovar}}

• [http://stars.library.ucf.edu/ahistoryofcentralfloridapodcast/20/ Russian Samovar] at A History of Central Florida Podcast
• [http://www.russianteacake.com/what-is-a-russian-samovar/ Making tea with a Samavar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124114728/http://www.russianteacake.com/what-is-a-russian-samovar |date=24 November 2020 }} at RussianTeaCake.com

{{Russian souvenirs}}

{{Teas}}

{{Cuisine of Turkey|instrument}}

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Category:Culture of Azerbaijan

Category:Boilers (cookware)

Category:Cooking appliances

Category:Iranian cuisine

Category:Culture of Iran

Category:Kashmiri cuisine

Category:Culture of Russia

Category:Russian inventions

Category:Russian tea

Category:Teaware

Category:Culture of Turkey