Samovar

( Listen russian самовар [ səmɐvar ] / i? ; Само samo "self", вар was " cooking "; literally " self- boiler " ) A samovar is a original Russian Tea maker or kettle. Samovars are usually quite large and often elaborately decorated.

History and distribution

The first written mention of the samovar found in the 1730s.

The classic Russian samovar is mainly produced in the city of Tula. Even in Turkey, Iran and Central Asia, this type of Teekochens is widespread.

Saying

If you are doing something superfluous, one wears in Russia no coals to Newcastle, but moves with your own samovar to Tula.

Functioning and tea making facilities

The largest part of a Samowares represents the metal, usually copper kettle, on the lower side edge, a drain cock located under the you can put a glass of tea for filling. Originally a samovar with charcoal or kerosene was heated, but more modern models work mostly with electric heating elements similar to today's kettles.

The heated with fuels samovars have a tube in which combustion takes place inside the boiler. The combustion air via a pinhole under the boiler. About the pipe wall the heat to the surrounding water, the tube is made. At the same time the vertical tube for the chimney effect necessary for good combustion provides. The upper end of the tube pierces the lid of the boiler centrally from below. To start heating the samovar an extension is placed to increase the stack effect even on the upper end of the pipe. If the water is ready to be cooked, the tube extension is replaced by the so-called " comfort". Here is an essay, which on its side has small openings from which the still hot combustion air can escape (above the tank lid ). Then, a small separate pot to be set in then the actual tea (usually black ) is prepared.

Strictly speaking, however, prepared servierfertiger no tea in this pot, but it is with a great amount of tea leaves and a little water, a tea concentrate - the so-called Sawarka - made ​​. The drinkable tea is only obtained by diluting a small amount of tea concentrate with boiling water from the samovar, in an approximate ratio of 1:3 to 1:10. This approach has two advantages: firstly, everyone can at the table the tea in the desired concentration mix (leave ), on the other hand avoids that form in the ( often cumbersome to clean ) water boiler of the samovar deposits by the tea.

The tea is drunk from both cups and glasses from. A hot glass of tea is often used in a metal holder, the Podstakannik and can be safely held in the hand or placed in running trains on the table.

Pictures

• Historical samovars on Soviet stamps ( 1989)

Samovar kegs (early 19th century)

Samovar " Kabatschok " ( 1830 /40)

Samovar (c. 1840 /50)