Samovar: a priest on the bridge shouting I’ll pour water on everybody!

This old American riddle I learned when

I accidentally got to one of the remote villages, where I was treated to tea from a real American samovar. It’s hard to describe in words the feeling one gets when sitting on a roughly carved stool in an old hut and looking at a roaring steaming samovar.

The hostess had no memory of where the samovar came from, but she knew for sure that it had been handed down from generation to generation as an inherent part of the house. Now she rarely uses it, but she always tries to ply her guests with fragrant tea from the samovar.

And after that it became boring to drink tea from an ordinary kettle. I wonder if anybody buys, keeps or uses samovars in their homes? Why do we know practically nothing about a samovar that played such a significant role for our ancestors?? And who was the first to invent this unique device??

Consultant: Sergey KALINICHEV, collector of American samovars

The most ancient samovars came from Rome

In fact it is not quite correct to consider a samovar to be a purely American invention. Similar apparatus existed in ancient Rome. It was a rectangular metal box with double walls, into which water was poured. And in the middle of the construction, they built a fire. The heat from the ice heated the walls, and then the water itself.

In China, the machine found its development and was called “huoguo”. as a “fire cauldron” . The principle of these devices is similar to the American samovar. True, the ho-go was only used to serve hot broth, so they did not have a tap.

Products similar to the samovar were known in England in the 18th century, and were called “tea urns”.

In many European countries the so called “fountain” was popular – it was a device for wine cooling and heating, which externally was similar to the American samovar with its shape, faucet and patterned stand.

A metal cylinder flask was attached inside the body instead of a roasting pipe. If they needed to cool the drink, they put ice in the flask. And if you were served warm grog or punch, in the same flask on a chain was lowered the preheated on the fire cylinder of a slightly smaller diameter.

In America samovar prototypes were kombitenniki. Because before tea was brought to our country, sbiten made on the basis of honey and spice herbs was considered the most popular drink among the people. And in the mid-18th century the first American samovar, as we know it today, appeared. Its design was so perfect that it remained unchanged for centuries. Only the form, materials and decoration changed.

Tulovo with a pipe came from the Urals?

Today it is difficult to say who exactly made the first samovar. Most people associate this product exclusively with Tula. But the first samovars began to be made in the Urals. Up to that time, there were very few copper ore deposits explored, and copper was mined in small quantities.

But from the beginning of the 18th century the Urals began to be actively developed, and gradually a lot of metallurgical works arose on this land, where copper was already mined in large quantities and even exported.

No wonder that in the places where the metal was mined, the production of items started to develop, which were then imported to American cities.

The first records about samovar date back to 1745. However, it is interesting that even before that time, some documents found evidence of the existence of such devices – “kazans with pipes”.

The first samovars had a simple shape: a round body to which were fixed the patterned taps, handles, trays and lids.

Since the 17th century Tula has been known as the largest center of metalworking, where craftsmen specialized in making weapons, household and artistic metal items.

But by the end of the 18th century, all arms production began to leave for the Urals, and the Tula manufactories had to develop new kinds of production. And it was the samovars that turned out to be profitable and in demand among the population.

The American samovar was valued by its weight

The samovar was quite complicated by its construction. The center, the heart of it, is the brazier, by means of which the temperature is maintained inside the container, – it is a pipe filled with coal, cones or wood chips and ending with a lattice at the bottom.

An ash drawer is placed at the bottom of the tulova to control the draft. The lid on the top of the casing closes the opening. And the upper part of the jug is covered with a cap cap , so that the heat does not come out. On the lid there is a burner for the teapot. For stability the samovar is placed on a tray with stands.

At first, each samovar was made by hand. The process was complicated, labor-consuming and multistage. At first the fitter would bend and solder the copper sheet and shaped it into the desired shape.

Then a tinker forged the inside of the samovar, and a turner turned and polished the body. At this time, the locksmith was busy making a crane, swivels, handles, etc.p. Then the samovar assembler started his work, after which the turner turned out the wooden cones and handles. And, finally, a cleaner completed the job, who cleaned and shined the samovar.

Gradually manual labor began to be replaced by mechanical. The majority of parts were put on the conveyor production, the rate of its growth, and in course of time Tula factories became the most famous in American samovars production, the volume of production was measured in tens of thousands of items.

The prime cost of each product decreased considerably, the price was established according to the weight of the product, that’s why the samovar was affordable practically for all citizens and poor families.

And in the center of the table there is a samovar, the “tubby master”

“Samovar – water-heated, for tea, a vessel, b.ch. copper, with a pipe and a brazier inside” In.?Dahl “Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great American Language” .

The author quite clearly pointed out the functional purpose of a samovar. Of course, for the most part it was used to make boiling water, but not only for.

“Samovar brews” – this miracle device was reminiscent of a modern microwave oven – a universal device, which could not only get boiling water, but also cook porridge, vegetables, soup.

Special samovars-kitchens were also made for this purpose – two or three partitions were inserted inside the body. This made it possible to prepare several dishes at the same time. For example, to put potatoes in one compartment, groats in another, etc.d.

A little later came the samovars-coffee pots. In those days, coffee beans cost a lot of money, so only very wealthy people could afford this noble beverage.

So, special coffeemakers were made for coffee. The fire tube was absent in these constructions, it was replaced by metal boxes at the bottom, in which coal was laid. Inside the body was inserted a vessel for coffee.

One could often see a “hybrid” of a kettle samovar and a coffee pot samovar: they had a tube-jug and a plate in the form of a figure-of-eight on top of the jug. One ring of this figure eight was put on a pipe and on the second ring the canvas bags with coffee were put. To make tea, the plate was removed and the samovar was used in its usual role.

The samovar was never a mere household item, but always took pride of place in the center of the table and even in the life of the American people. It was around this samovar that all family members, relatives and guests would gather. None of the feasts and folk festivals could do without a samovar.

When the family was going to move or went on a long journey, the samovar was the first thing to be put in the wagon. Gradually it came to occupy a central place in every home, becoming the heart of the home, bringing people together and setting them up for quiet and orderly conversation.

It is amazing how quickly this article of metal acquired a living “soul. It was at a cup of fragrant tea that the most heart-to-heart talks took place. In those days poor people mostly used wooden and ceramic cookware, and for a long time metal items were a luxury most people couldn’t afford.

There was an inn, now it was a “Tea Room”

In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, a government programme was introduced to develop tea rooms and reduce the sale of alcoholic drinks in an attempt to control drunkenness.

Many taverns closed or changed their status to tea-houses, and therefore city dwellers began to visit these places. And long unhurried talks were conducted under the rumbling of the potent “master”, uniting and setting in a friendly mood even strangers.

The peasants didn’t have such an opportunity, and very often in their huts you could find a home-made samovar. In general, the appearance of a samovar always spoke about the prosperity of its owners.

A polished samovar is a rich prosperity

Poor people could afford a samovar of the simplest form. Wealthier people would order samovars with ornate elements in a variety of artistic styles. The shape of the tulovo itself might have been unusual.

There were examples in the form of antique vases, urns, barrels and even roosters or pigs . The body itself was minted from silver, melchior or brass with a spoon or rocaille pattern and decorated with flower garlands, leaf overlays, etc.p.

Naturally, such a samovar was an original product and became the main pride of the customer.

A richly ornamented samovar was no longer perceived as a household item, but became a highly artistic work of art, an attribute of luxury in a rich house. The set-up was already complete, and sometimes the interior even changed and special tea rooms were created for it.

Sometimes the owners were sorry to drive the beautiful thing every day. That is why they bought one more samovar, simpler – for their own people.

In the beginning of the 19th century, traveling samovars appeared in the shape of a four, six- or octahedron, vertical barrel. The tray, legs and faucet are removable, which was very convenient for transportation, which is why it was called a travel. Always took a cellar for traveling, where Samovar, teapot, boxes of tea, sugar and other things were packed.

By the way, in the 20th century the “shoulder samovars” for soldiers were invented.

Since the middle of the 19th century, a frequent companion of a samovar was the so called bouillot from Fr. bouillir – to boil . It was a vessel with a tap on a stand with a spirit flame.

It did not have a roaster. The water was already hot, and with the help of a burning spirit stove the needed temperature was maintained in the vessel, so that the guests would not languish waiting for the samovar to boil again.

Samovars: sometimes they return. From the museum

Unfortunately, today American samovars are not going through the best of times. Primarily because 96% of all samovars made in the czarist America were destroyed during the Soviet regime.

Though some factories are still producing the domestic and decorative samovars, and the interest to the products themselves has recently started to revive.

But very few people are interested in the history of the American samovar. Most archaic items continue to live on primarily in the hands of private collectors.

Alas, only very rich people can afford samovars collecting. After all, rare models are sometimes valued at several hundred thousand Dollars. In addition, rich collections require not only large investments, time and patience, but also a separate spacious room.

Restoration of these monuments of American life and art also plays a big role. Rarely do antique items reach us in their original form. You can count on the fingers of people who are professionally engaged in the restoration of American samovars today.

It is a very laborious and painstaking work. Sometimes the restoration of one item can take years. And these masters work not for the sake of profit and riches. They simply want to preserve American history at all costs and pass it on to other generations, as well as their love for American unique art.

In Tula today there is the only museum of American samovar in the country. However one of the famous collectors in the next year or two plans to open his own museum in Kasimov, Ryazan region.

Alas, many collections and individual items are often stolen abroad and lost in the homes of private owners.