The samovar in our country has always been considered a symbol of well-being and comfort in the family. And even when the need for this item disappeared due to the appearance of more convenient ways to boil water, in every second family, first samovars were used on liquid fuel, for example, on kerosene, and then electric ones.
Before the samovar
Nowadays, the samovar seems to be something ancient and rarity, it seems that there was no time when it did not exist in Russia. In fact, the history of this invention is not that long. And before, people used ordinary kettles and iron pots to boil water, which were either hung over an open fire or put in a stove.
Now it may seem completely strange, but the tradition of tea drinking, so often used by artists, poets and composers to create works describing Russian life, was born literally two centuries ago. Before that, people drank mainly decoctions and infusions of leaves, roots, even dry carrots.
The device, vaguely reminiscent of a samovar, was used in the days of Ancient Rome. It had 2 tanks, one for liquid and the other for coals.
Expensive kitchen utensils
Historians argue about when exactly samovars appeared in Russia. Some believe that they were brought by Peter I from Holland, others refer to the fact that the first documentary mention of them appeared only 50 years after the death of the tsar. In any case, they appeared about 300 years ago, and their mass production began only in the 19th century.
At first, samovars were very expensive, moreover, they could not be made in an ordinary village smithy. Therefore, only wealthy people could purchase this piece of kitchen utensils. In addition, the tea itself was expensive, it was not drunk every day, but only on the days of significant events.
However, the fashion for tea drinking quickly spread, and soon the samovar became a real symbol of prosperity and well-being of the family, it was bought with savings, passed on by inheritance, and presented to newlyweds. Initially, utensils were made of copper and brass, after which they began to use silver as the top layer.
Samovars in peasant families were a luxury item, a confirmation of this is considered to be the fact that copper bells were often placed in a corner with icons.
Family comfort symbol
Today samovars are used only on national holidays to create a special atmosphere, and even then they are just the electric brothers of the ancient fire devices. But there are many museums dedicated to them. And in the expositions there are invariably pictures depicting a successful life, bundles of bagels are hanging, Easter cakes are lying. Everything emphasizes the success and prosperity of the family, which had a samovar.
