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Asamovar (Russian:самовар,IPA:[səmɐˈvar]ⓘ,lit. 'self-brewer') is a metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water. Although originating inRussia, the samovar is well known outside of the country and has spread through Russian culture to other parts ofEastern Europe, as well asWestern andCentral andSouth Asia. Since the heated water is typically used to maketea, many samovars have a ring-shaped attachment (конфорка,konforka) around the chimney to hold and heat ateapot filled with tea concentrate.[1] Though traditionally heated withcoal orkindling, many newer samovars use electricity to heat water in a manner similar to anelectric water boiler.
A Samovar is typically made ofiron,copper,polished brass,bronze,silver,gold,tin, ornickel — 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 anurn,krater, barrel, cylinder, or sphere. Sizes and designs vary, from very large capacity to smaller family-sized vessels, holding 4 litres (1.1 US gal), and those of a modest 1 litre (0.26 US gal) size.[2]
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 ensuredraft. After the water boils and the fire is extinguished, the smoke-stack can be removed and ateapot placed on top to be heated by the rising hot air. The teapot is used to brew a strong concentrate of tea known aszavarka (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]
The origin and history of the samovar prior to the 18th century is unknown.Connections exist to a similar Greek water-heater ofclassical antiquity, theautepsa, a vase with a central tube for coal. The Russian tradition was probably influenced byByzantine and Central Asian cultures.[3] Conversely, Russian culture also influenced Asian, Western European and Byzantine cultures. "Samovar-like" pottery found inShaki, 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.[4]
The first historically recorded samovar-makers were theRussianLisitsyn 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.[5][6] These and other early producers lived inTula, a city known for its metalworkers and arms-makers. Since the 18th century Tula has been also the main center of Russian samovar production, withtul'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". AlthoughCentral Russia and theUral region were among the first Samovar producers, over time several samovar producers emerged all over Russia, which gave the samovar its different local characteristics.[7] By the 19th century samovars were already a common feature ofRussian tea culture. They were produced in large numbers and exported toCentral Asia and other regions.
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The samovar was an important attribute of Russian households andtaverns to tea-drinking. It was used by all classes, from the poorest peasants up to the most well-suited people.[8][9] 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 drypinecones. When not in use, the fire in the samovar pipe faintly smouldered. As needed it could be quickly rekindled with the help ofbellows. Although a Russianjackbootсапог (sapog) could be used for this purpose, bellows were manufactured specifically for use on samovars.[10] Today samovars are popular souvenirs among tourists in Russia.[11]
The Russian word was adopted asPersian:سماورsamovar, andTurkish:semaver.
Samovar culture has an analog inIran 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 betweenRussia and Iran started), and electrical, oil-burning or natural gas-consuming samovars are still common. Samovar issamăvar inPersian. Iranian craftsmen usedPersian art motifs in their samovar production. The Iranian city ofBorujerd has been the main centre of samovar production and a few workshops still produce hand-made samovars. Borujerd's samovars are often made withGerman silver, in keeping with the famousVarsho-Sazi artistic style. The art samovars of Borujerd are often displayed in Iranian and Western museums as illustrations of Iranian art and handicraft.[12]
Kashmiri samovars are made of copper, sometimes 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.[13] 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, andcinnamon are put into the water.[14]
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 theçaydanlık (lit. 'teapot'), a metal teapot with a smaller teapot on top taking the place of the cap of the lower one. To makeTurkish tea, the lower part is used to boil the water and the upper part, calleddemlik is used for concentrated tea. Tea is poured first from thedemlik 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, butçaydanlık are now also made from stainless steel, aluminium, or ceramics with plastic, steel or aluminium handles.
Samovars introduced toKerala via maritime trade in the 19th century, became emblematic fixtures in the state's chayakkadas (tea shops), where they efficiently boiled water for tea using charcoal or wood, imparting a unique flavor to beverages and symbolizing hospitality and communal warmth in a region renowned for its tea plantations. These vessels held significant importance in Kerala's tea culture, enhancing the social role of chayakkadas as egalitarian spaces that fostering political debates, literary discussions, and daily interactions among diverse patrons since their emergence in the late 19th century.[15] The history of tea shops in Kerala reflects a revolutionary shift in public dining, starting as modest outlets serving affordable tea and snacks amid colonial influences and evolving into indispensable community hubs that shaped societal norms and popular culture over a century.[16] In Malayalam cinema, samovars and tea shops often emerge as central 'characters,' providing authentic rural backdrops for plot advancement, character revelations, and social commentary in films from the 1970s and 1980s, such as in narratives depicting village life, camaraderie, and pivotal encounters that mirror Kerala's cultural ethos.[17]
Modern trends have seen samovars largely supplanted by efficient gas stoves and electric kettles, yet they persist in nostalgic rural setups, luxury resorts, and tourism-oriented spots as antiques valued for their heritage appeal, while tea shop aesthetics have trended toward minimalist, vintage-inspired designs featuring cozy interiors, ambient lighting, and specialty infusions. Abroad, in Malayali diaspora communities across the Gulf countries, the United States, and beyond, contemporary Kerala-style tea shops recreate the chayakkada vibe with samovars for authenticity, serving as cultural enclaves that offer traditional snacks and brews to expatriates while introducing global patrons to Kerala's enduring tea traditions in vibrant, adapted formats.[18]
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