Samovar / Самовар

The samovar was invented in the 18th century as a hybrid between the Russian sbitennik (сбитенник) which was used to heat sbiten, a traditional drink made of light beer, honey and spices, and the Dutch bouilliotte, which was used to heat a type of mulled wine. The bouilliotte was brought from Holland to Russia by Peter the Great, a lover of Western technology. The bouilliotte required burning alcohol, which was far too expensive for Russian peasants. The sbitenik had a spout similar to a tea kettle, which required lifting the whole container to pour out what was inside. Elements of both devices were combined to create the samovar, a device that burned wood or coal and had a spigot.

Most samovars in the 18th and 19th century were made of copper. However, samovars have been made of materials like silver, porcelain, and ceramic and in a range of styles from baroque to neoclassical and more. Though the original samovars burned coal or wood chips, you can now find electric samovars.

Tula is the samovar capital of Russia. The city, known for its metalworkers, is where the first samovar producers could be found. In fact, there is a proverb in Russian that states "Don't take your own samovar to Tula! (В Тулу са своим самоваром не ездят." This would be like bringing corn to Nebraska, wheat to Kansas, or maple syrup to Vermont.

There are many proverbs and sayings in Russian that reference samovars.

The samovar is not only seen in Russia. They have spread through Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and are a part of many cultures.

Fun Fact! The word samovar literally means self-boiler. The word sam (сам) in Russian means self, and the word varit' (варить) means to boil.