Your Daily Facts about Samovars
Today’s fact came about because of a discussion with my sister about what happened to our grandparents (our dad’s parents) samovar. No, we are not and they were not Russian, not even close. It was there in the living room for years and years and everyone who wanted tea had it at hand. Will have to call my dad tonight and ask him.
There is some dispute to the creation of the Samovar. Some say it originated from Russia, and others say it was created in China. Regardless, it is embedded in Russian culture.
The first Samovars date back to the late 18th century and were made from metal in the City of Tula, South of Russia. The reason for metal, is a portion of the samovar was filled with coal to keep the water and tea hot.
The traditional Samovar had three compartments within it. Samovars were traditionally a large metal container with a spout at the bottom and a metal pipe running vertically through the middle of the container. The pipe was filled with coal to heat the water. A third compartment or unit went atop filled with strong concentrated tea that was also kept warm.
Tea is served from the Samovar by taking 1 part concentrate and diluting it with about 10 parts of water from the spout.
By the mid 19th century their were four shapes of samovars that had become traditional:
* Cylindric Shaped
* Barrel Shaped
* Spherical Shaped
* Ornate Urn Shaped
By the 1950′s electric Samovars were being introduced.