Podstakannik
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The ''podstakannik'' ( , literally "thing under the glass"), or tea glass holder, is a holder with a handle, most commonly made of metal that holds a drinking glass (''stakan''). Their primary purpose is to be able to hold a very hot glass of
tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
, which is usually consumed right after it is brewed. The stability of the glass on the table is also significantly improved. It is a traditional way of serving and drinking tea in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, and some other Slavic states.


History


Russia

''Podstakanniks'' appeared in Russian tea culture in the late 18th century, when drinking tea became common in Russia. Very soon they became not just practical utensils, but also works of art, just like
samovar A samovar (, , ) is a metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water. Although originating in Russia, the samovar is well known outside of Russia and has spread through Russian culture to other parts of Eastern Europe, as well as We ...
s that were used for boiling water. Expensive ''podstakanniks'' for the rich and the elite were made of
silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
; however, they were not very practical, since they would get quite hot very quickly due to the high
thermal conductivity The thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of its ability to heat conduction, conduct heat. It is commonly denoted by k, \lambda, or \kappa and is measured in W·m−1·K−1. Heat transfer occurs at a lower rate in materials of low ...
of silver. By the 20th century, ''podstakanniks'' became very widespread. They were found extremely useful on
railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
s, as tea was served in moving carriages that were shaking. A bare glass was more likely to fall, scalding people with hot tea. The Russian railroads still use the podstakannik extensively in sleeper carriages.


Poland

In
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
, a tea glass holder is similarly known as ''podstakannik'' or ''podstakanka'', but also as ''koszyczek'' or ''koszyk do szklanki'' (literally "little basket for the glass"). They have been used in
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
since the times of
Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...
, but became even more popular there and in other Eastern European countries after
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. During the
interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...
, podstakanniks were produced in the
Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...
on an industrial scale. At first they were popular mostly in middle-class households (particularly in
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
,
Greater Poland Greater Poland, often known by its Polish name Wielkopolska (; ), is a Polish Polish historical regions, historical region of west-central Poland. Its chief and largest city is Poznań followed by Kalisz, the oldest city in Poland. The bound ...
, and
Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...
), but gradually became more widespread among other sectors of society and had become ubiquitous by the time of the
Polish People's Republic The Polish People's Republic (1952–1989), formerly the Republic of Poland (1947–1952), and also often simply known as Poland, was a country in Central Europe that existed as the predecessor of the modern-day democratic Republic of Poland. ...
. The ''koszyczki'' were seen as an opportunity to show off the decorative skills and good taste of the family in front of guests. By the 1990s and following Poland's transition into a
market economy A market economy is an economic system in which the decisions regarding investment, production, and distribution to the consumers are guided by the price signals created by the forces of supply and demand. The major characteristic of a mark ...
, ''podstakanki'' started being replaced by
East German East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...
and Western
mug A mug is a type of cup, a drinking vessel usually intended for hot drinks such as: coffee, hot chocolate, or tea. Mugs usually have handles and hold a larger amount of fluid than other types of cups such as teacups or coffee cups. Typically ...
s. They have since become fairly uncommon, but are still perceived as a traditional element of Polish
applied arts The applied arts are all the arts that apply design and decoration to everyday and essentially practical objects in order to make them aesthetically pleasing."Applied art" in ''The Oxford Dictionary of Art''. Online edition. Oxford Univ ...
and the old way of serving tea or coffee.


Production

In the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
they were made mostly from
nickel silver Nickel silver, maillechort, German silver, argentan, new silver, nickel brass, albata, or alpacca is a cupronickel (copper with nickel) alloy with the addition of zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Nickel silver ...
,
cupronickel Cupronickel or copper–nickel (CuNi) is an alloy of copper with nickel, usually along with small quantities of other metals added for strength, such as iron and manganese. The copper content typically varies from 60 to 90 percent. ( Monel is a n ...
, and other
alloys An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which in most cases at least one is a metallic element, although it is also sometimes used for mixtures of elements; herein only metallic alloys are described. Metallic alloys often have properties ...
with
nickel Nickel is a chemical element; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slo ...
,
silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
, or
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
plating. Though in modern times, simple
tea cup A teacup is a cup for drinking tea. It generally has a small handle that may be grasped with the thumb and one or two fingers. It is typically made of a ceramic material and is often part of a set which is composed of a cup and a matching sauc ...
s or mugs are typically used by Eastern Europeans at home, ''podstakanniks'' continue to be widely used for serving tea on the
Russian Railways Russian Railways or RZD () is a Russian fully state-owned vertically integrated railway company, both managing infrastructure and operating freight and passenger train services and has a near-monopoly on long-distance train travel in Russia. ...
, since they provide more safety while drinking or carrying tea on a moving train. Most Russian tea glass holders have been produced by a plant located in
Kolchugino Kolchugino () is the name of several inhabited localities in Russia. Modern localities ;Urban localities * Kolchugino, Vladimir Oblast, a town in Kolchuginsky District of Vladimir Oblast ;Rural localities * Kolchugino, Smolensk Oblast, a village ...
,
Vladimir Oblast Vladimir Oblast () is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Vladimir, which is located east of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census, the oblast's population was 1,443,693. The UNESCO World Heritage L ...
.
Kolchug-Mizar Russian tableware plant Kolchug-Mizar is the largest manufacturer of tableware, plate and cutlery in Russia. It was founded in 1871. The plant is situated not far from Moscow (Kolchugino, Vladimir region). Kolchugino plant is well-known most beca ...
, its name deriving from its location and the alloy
melchior Melchior is the name traditionally given to one of the biblical Magi appearing in the Gospel of Matthew. There are many notable people with this name, or close variations. As a first name * Melchior Anderegg (1828–1914), Swiss mountain guide * ...
, continues to be the main glass holder producer to this day. Some ''podstakanniks'' depict architecture, famous people, famous dates in history, cities, etc., giving a good general survey of Russian and Soviet history. Some similar tea glass holders can occasionally be seen in the West in tea houses and pubs; they are however usually of much simpler design (made of either stainless steel bent wire or even of some plastic material) than those seen in Russia (and in the former USSR). File:Kolchugino podst ohota.jpg, Russian Kolchugino Glass Holder (made of sterling silver) File:Podst rmsilver.jpg, Russian Kolchugino Glass Holder (silver-plated) File:Sputnik cup holder.jpg, A depiction of
Sputnik Sputnik 1 (, , ''Satellite 1''), sometimes referred to as simply Sputnik, was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space progra ...
on 1950s podstakannik File:Стакан чаю подстаканник.JPG, A podstakannik with glass and tea as used on the RZD (Russian Railways)


See also

*
Tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of south-western China and nor ...
*
Tea culture Tea culture refers to how tea is made and consumed, how people interact with tea, and the aesthetics surrounding tea drinking. Tea plays an important role in some countries. It is commonly consumed at social events, and many cultures have cre ...
** Russian tea culture *
Turkish tea Tea ( ) is a popular drink throughout Turkey and the Turkish diaspora. Turkey has the highest per-capita tea consumption in the world with an annual total consumption of over 3 kilograms per person. Turkey is a large exporter of tea, ranking fift ...
, a style of tea served in clear glasses without a holder *
Zarf A zarf (plural: zarfs, zarves; ; Arabic: ) is a cup holder, usually of ornamented metal, for a coffee cup without a handle (demitasse or wikt:fincan, fincan). History Although coffee was probably discovered in Ethiopia, it was in Turkey around ...


References


External links

{{Teas Teaware Russian inventions