Abrazier (/ˈbreɪʒər/) is a container used to burncharcoal or othersolid fuel for cooking, heating, or rituals. It often takes the form of a metal box or bowl with feet, but in some places it is made of terracotta. Its elevation helps circulate air, feeding oxygen to the fire. Braziers have been used since ancient times; the Nimrud brazier dates to at least 824 BC.[1]
The word brazier is mentioned in theBible. TheHebrew word for brazier is believed to be of Egyptian origin, suggesting that it was imported from Egypt. The lone reference to it in the Bible being the following verse:
The king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth month; and the brazier (Hebrew:אָח) was burning before him.[2]
Roman EmperorJovian waspoisoned by the fumes from a brazier in his tent in 364, ending the line ofConstantine.
In Arabic, the brazier is calledkanoun.
Despite risks in burningcharcoal on open fires, braziers were widely adopted for domestic heating, particularly and somewhat more safely used (namely in unglazed, shuttered-only buildings) in the Spanish-speaking world.Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxochitl noted thatTezozomoc, theTlatoani of theTepanec city ofAzcapotzalco, slept between two braziers because he was so old that he produced no natural heat. Nineteenth-century British travellers such as diplomat and scientistWoodbine Parish and the writerRichard Ford, author ofA Handbook for Travellers in Spain, state that widely braziers were considered healthier than fireplaces and chimneys.[3][4]
The brazier could sit in the open in a large room; often it was incorporated into furniture. Many cultures developed their own variants of a low table, with a heat source underneath and blankets to capture the warmth: thekotatsu in Japan, thekorsi in Iran, thesandali in Afghanistan,[5] and thefoot stove in northern Europe. In Spain thebrasero continued to be one of the main means of heating until the early 20th century;Gerald Brenan described in his memoirSouth from Granada its widespread habit in the 1920s of placing dying embers of a brazier beneath a cloth-covered table to keep the legs and feet of the family warm on winter evenings.[6]
Moist rose and grapevine trimmings produce a pungent, sweet-smelling smoke, and make charcoal, but unless fully pre-dried (seasoned or kilned) as with wood, doproduce carcinogenic particulates in the air.
Aromatics (lavender seeds, orange peel) were sometimes added to the embers in the brazier.[4]
A "brazier" for burning aromatics (incense) is known as acenser orthurible.
In some churches a brazier is used to host a small fire, called new fire, which is then used to light thePaschal candle during theEaster Vigil.
Braziers were common on industrialpicket lines, largely replaced by protest marches and rallies, while a newspaper casts strikes as being morewhite collar as a further reason for their decline.[7]
The Japanese translation ishibachi - principally for cooking and in cultural rituals such as theJapanese tea ceremony.
Since 1957Dairy Queen has used the word "brazier" on their signage to indicate a particular location serves hot food, such as hot dogs and hamburgers, in addition to ice cream treats.
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