Chugun (pronounced "chooGOON"; small one: chugunok) is a crock initially made of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

, hence its name: "chugun" in Russian means "cast iron". It has a special shape: narrow at the bottom quickly turning into a round bowl, that permits handling of it in the

Russian stove The Russian stove () is a type of masonry stove that first appeared in the 15th century or earlier. These stoves combine the functions of a traditional stove, oven, and fireplace into a single unit, and serve a broad range of purposes, including ...

with a special implement called , a long wooden handle ending with the two-pronged metal "grabber". Later ''chuguns'' were made of

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

as well. This kind of ware had become widespread in Russia since the break of the 19th and 20th centuries.Русская изба. Иллюстрированная энциклопедия. 'Russian stove. An Illustrated Encycliopedia''— St.Petersburg, Искусство-СПБ, 2004, pp. 359—360 Standalone small stoves had special metal rings to fit bottoms of ''chuguns'' of different sizes. The implement gave rise to Russian surnames Chugunov and .

References

Cooking vessels Cast iron {{cooking-tool-stub

See also

References