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A brazier () is a container used to burn
charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
or other
solid fuel Solid fuel refers to various forms of solid material that can be burnt to release energy, providing heat and light through the process of combustion. Solid fuels can be contrasted with liquid fuels and gaseous fuels. Common examples of solid fuels ...
for cooking, heating or cultural rituals. It often takes the form of a metal box or bowl with feet. Its elevation helps circulate air, feeding oxygen to the fire. Braziers have been used since ancient times; the Nimrud brazier dates to at least 824 BC.


History

The word brazier is mentioned in the Bible. The Hebrew word for brazier is believed to be of Egyptian origin, suggesting that it was imported from Egypt. The lone reference to it in the Bible being the following verse: * - the winter palace of King Jehoiakim was heated by a brazier (). Roman Emperor
Jovian Jovian is the adjectival form of Jupiter and may refer to: * Jovian (emperor) (Flavius Iovianus Augustus), Roman emperor (363–364 AD) * Jovians and Herculians, Roman imperial guard corps * Jovian (lemur), a Coquerel's sifaka known for ''Zoboomafo ...
was poisoned by the fumes from a brazier in his tent in 364, ending the line of
Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given na ...
.


Uses


Heating

Despite risks in burning
charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
on open fires, braziers were widely adopted for domestic heating, particularly and somewhat more safely used (namely in unglazed, shuttered-only buildings) in the Spanish-speaking world.
Fernando de Alva Cortés Ixtlilxochitl Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...
noted that Tezozomoc, the Tlatoani of the Tepanec city of Azcapotzalco, slept between two braziers because he was so old that he produced no natural heat. Nineteenth-century British travellers such as diplomat and scientist
Woodbine Parish Sir Woodbine Parish KCH (14 September 1796, London – 16 August 1882, St. Leonards, Sussex) was a British diplomat, traveller and scientist. The son of Woodbine Parish, of Bawburgh Old Hall, Norfolk, a major in the Light Horse Volunteers ...
and the writer Richard Ford, author of ''
A Handbook for Travellers in Spain ''A Handbook for Travellers in Spain'' is an 1845 work of travel literature by English writer Richard Ford. It has been described as a defining moment in the genre. British tourists were travelling through Europe in increasing numbers and the nee ...
'', state that widely braziers were considered healthier than fireplaces and chimneys. The brazier could sit in the open in a large room; often it was incorporated into furniture. Many cultures developed their own variants of a low table, with a heat source underneath and blankets to capture the warmth: the '' kotatsu'' in Japan, the '' korsi'' in Iran, the ''sandali'' in Afghanistan, and the foot stove in northern Europe. In Spain the '' brasero'' continued to be one of the main means of heating until the early 20th century; Gerald Brenan described in his memoir '' South from Granada'' its widespread habit in the 1920s of dying embers of a brazier beneath a cloth-covered table to keep the legs and feet of the family warm on winter evenings.


Scent

Moist rose and grapevine trimmings produce a pungent, sweet-smelling smoke, and make charcoal, but unless fully pre-dried (seasoned or kilned) as with wood, do produce carcinogenic particulates in the air. Aromatics (lavender seeds, orange peel) were sometimes added to the embers in the brazier. A "brazier" for burning aromatics ( incense) is known as a censer or thurible.


Other

In some churches a brazier is used to host a small fire, called new fire, which is then used to light the Paschal candle during the Easter Vigil. Braziers were common on industrial
picket lines Picketing is a form of protest in which people (called pickets or picketers) congregate outside a place of work or location where an event is taking place. Often, this is done in an attempt to dissuade others from going in (" crossing the pick ...
, largely replaced by protest marches and rallies, and a newspaper casts strikes as more
white collar White collar may refer to: * White-collar worker, a salaried professional or an educated worker who performs semi-professional office, administrative, and sales-coordination tasks, as opposed to a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor ...
as a further reason for their decline. The Japanese translation is ''
hibachi The is a traditional Japanese heating device. It is a brazier which is either round, cylindrical, or box-shaped, open-topped container, made from or lined with a heatproof material and designed to hold burning charcoal. It is believed date ...
'' - principally for cooking and in cultural rituals such as the
Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is se ...
. Since 1957 Dairy Queen has used the word "brazier" on their signage to indicate the particular locations that serve hot food like hot dogs and hamburgers, etc..


Gallery

File:Brazier.JPG, Simple box-style brazier, with broad grill, intended as a metal container (e.g. kettle/tray) heater/cooker File:S03 06 01 024 image 3159.jpg, Pompeii, Italy. Table and small brazier to keep food warm. Brooklyn Museum Archives, Goodyear Archival Collection File:NewFireBrazier.JPG, Brazier used for lighting the Paschal candle during Easter Vigil. File:Tortillas savadorenas hechas a mano al carbon en El Salvador.jpg, This is a small one used for cooking tortillas.


See also

*
Asado ' () is the technique and the social event of having or attending a barbecue in various South American countries, especially Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay where it is also a traditional event. An ''asado'' usually consists of beef, po ...
*
Angithi An ( Hindustani: or ) is a traditional brazier used for space-heating and cooking in the northern areas of South Asia, mainly in India, Pakistan and Nepal. usually generate heat from burning coal and, when in use, have glowing coal or charcoal ...
, a traditional Indian brazier *
Barbecue grill A barbecue grill or barbeque grill (known as a barbecue or barbie in Australia and New Zealand) is a device that cooks food by applying heat from below. There are several varieties of grills, with most falling into one of three categories: natura ...
* Chafing dish, a cooking implement *
Hibachi The is a traditional Japanese heating device. It is a brazier which is either round, cylindrical, or box-shaped, open-topped container, made from or lined with a heatproof material and designed to hold burning charcoal. It is believed date ...
, a Japanese brazier * List of cooking appliances *
Fire basket A fire basket is an iron basket in which wood can be burned to make a bonfire. Background During the Middle Ages fire baskets filled with sulfur were used to repel the Black Death. Currently the fire basket is used for enjoyment. In some countries ...
* Torch *
Cresset A cresset is a metal cup or basket, often mounted to or suspended from a pole, containing oil, pitch, a rope steeped in rosin or something flammable. They are burned as a light or beacon. Cressets mounted on the walls of Renaissance palaces in ...
, a cup for burning oil * Kanger, a traditional Kashmiri personal heating device * Crucible


References

{{Reflist Burners Cooking appliances Heating