Samovar
Display: Liquid Refreshments
Culinary Technique: heat transfer
Dimensions: 20" h x 13" w x 12" d
Watch collection donor Mel Mickevic demonstrate this object with
Dean Christopher
Koetke, School of Culinary Arts, Kendall College,
and Victoria Matranga, exhibition curator.
Samovars in varied shapes heated water for traditional tea service in Russia, Central Asia, and some Middle Eastern countries such as Iran. This is a "smuggler's samovar"—its nickel and chrome alloys could be melted down and added to iron to produce steel for making weapons. This samovar may have traveled between regions of the former Soviet Union, as it is embossed with a seal bearing Roman lettering above a man's face, as well as Arabic calligraphy above a steaming cup.
The samovar was heated by liquid fuel, held in the reservoir that rises above the table on four feet. The knob regulated the flame, visible through the window beneath the spout. The red dial, marked 1, 2, 3, indicated the amount of fuel released. The plate covering the chimney top was removed so that the brewing teapot fit securely into the cap. A horizontal open tube that dispersed heat into the surrounding water bisects the samovar's interior chimney.