View source for Tandoor

{{short description|Cylindrical clay oven used in South Asian cooking}}
{{For|the web series|Tandoor (web series)}}
{{Distinguish|Tabun oven}}
[[File:Luxury tandoor.png|300px|thumb|Modern ceramic wood-fired tandoors.]]
[[File:Clay Pots.jpg|thumb|Clay tandoors in [[India]].]]
A '''tandoor''' ({{IPAc-en|t|æ|n|ˈ|d|ʊər}} or {{IPAc-en|t|ɑ:|n|ˈ|d|ʊər}}) is a large vase-shaped [[oven]], usually made of [[clay]]. Since antiquity, tandoors have been used to bake unleavened [[flatbreads]], such as  [[roti]] and [[naan]], as well as to roast meat. The tandoor is predominantly used in [[West Asia|Western Asian]], [[Central Asia]]n, [[South Asia]]n, and [[Horn of Africa]]n cuisines.
The roots of the tandoor can be traced back over 5,000 years to the ancient [[Indus Valley Civilization]], one of the oldest known civilizations. The standard heating element of a tandoor is an internal [[charcoal]] or wood fire, which cooks food with direct heat and smoke. Tandoors can be fully above ground, or partially buried below ground, often reaching over a meter in height/depth. Temperatures in a tandoor can reach {{convert|480|C|F K|-1}}, and they are routinely kept lit for extended periods. Therefore, traditional tandoors are usually found in restaurant kitchens. Modern tandoors are often made of metal. Variations, such as tandoors with gas or electric heating elements, are more common for at-home use.
==Etymology==
[[File:Coal fired Drum Tandoor.jpg|thumb|left|A coal-fired tandoor with a [[mild steel]] drum.]]
The English word comes from the [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]] {{transliteration|ur|tandūr}}, which came from [[Persian language|Persian]] {{transliteration|fa|tanūr}} ({{Wikt-lang|fa|تَنور}}) and ultimately from the [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] word {{transliteration|akk|tinūru}} (𒋾𒂟), which consists of the parts {{transliteration|akk|tin}} {{gloss|mud}} and {{transliteration|akk|nuro}}/{{transliteration|akk|nura}} {{gloss|fire}} and is mentioned as early as in the Akkadian [[Epic of Gilgamesh]], cf. or [[Avestan]] {{transliteration|ae|tanûra}} and [[Middle Persian]] {{transliteration|pal|tanûr}}. In [[Sanskrit]], the tandoor was referred to as {{transliteration|sa|kandu}}.<ref name="AutoO0-1"/><ref name="AutoO0-2"/>
Words related and similar to ''tandoor'' are used in various languages, for example the [[Dari Persian]] words {{transliteration|prs|tandūr}} and {{transliteration|prs|tanūr}}, [[Arabic language|Arabic]] {{transliteration|ar|tannūr}} ({{Wikt-lang|ar|تنّور}}), [[Armenian language|Armenian]] {{transliteration|hy|t’onir}} ({{lang|hy|Թոնիր}}), [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic|Assyrian]] {{transliteration|syr|tanūra}} ({{lang|syr|ܬܢܘܪܐ}}), [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]] {{transliteration|az|təndir}}, [[Georgian language|Georgian]] {{transliteration|ka|tone}} ({{lang|ka|თონე}}), [[Hebrew]] {{transliteration|he|tanúr}} ({{lang|he|תנור}}), [[Kyrgyz language|Kyrgyz]] {{transliteration|ky|tandyr}} ({{lang|ky|тандыр}}), [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]] {{transliteration|kk|tandyr}} ({{lang|kk|тандыр}}), [[Pashto]] Tanoor (تنور) and Taneer (تانير), [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]] {{transliteration|ku|tenûr, tendûr}}, [[Tat language (Caucasus)|Tat]] {{transliteration|ttt|tənur}}, [[Tajik language|Tajik]] {{transliteration|tg|tanur}} ({{lang|tg|танур}}), [[Turkish language|Turkish]] {{transliteration|tr|tandır}}, [[Turkmen language|Turkmen]] {{transliteration|tk|tamdyr}}, [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]] {{transliteration|uz|tandir}}, [[Luganda]] {{transliteration|lg|ttanuulu}}, and [[Somali language|Somali]] {{transliteration|so|tinaar}}.
== Operation ==
[[File:Charcoal Fired S.Steel Body Tandoor, with ash tray & temp. meter.JPG|thumb|Charcoal-fired stainless-steel tandoor, with ash tray and thermometer.]]
The first time a tandoor is used, the temperature must be gradually increased to condition the oven's interior. This step is crucial in ensuring the longevity of the tandoor. Conditioning can be done by starting a very small fire and slowly adding fuel to increase the amount of heat inside the tandoor gradually. Hairline cracks might form during conditioning; this is normal and will not interfere with the performance of the tandoor oven. When the oven cools off, the hairline cracks will barely be noticeable. They are essential in allowing the clay body of the tandoor to breathe (i.e. [[Thermal expansion|thermal expansion and contraction]]). The slower the temperature inside the tandoor increases during its first use, the fewer hairline cracks will develop.<ref name="AutoO0-4"/>
==Types==
===Arab world: tannour / tannur===
{{further|Primitive clay oven#Tannour / Tannur|tabun oven}}
===Persianate world and Southern Asia===
====Afghan tandoor====
The Afghan tandoor sits above the ground and is made of bricks.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}
====Punjabi tandoor====
[[File:A Tandoor also known as tannour is a cylindrical clay or metal oven used in cooking and baking in Pakistan and other Asian countries.jpg|thumb|A Pakistani tandoor.]]
The [[Punjabi tandoor]] from [[South Asia]] is traditionally made of clay and is a bell-shaped oven, which can either be set into the earth or rest above the ground and is fired with wood or charcoal, reaching temperatures of about {{convert|480|C|F K|-1}}.<ref name="AutoO0-5"/> Tandoor cooking is a traditional aspect of [[Punjabi cuisine]] in undivided [[Punjab]].<ref name="apnaorg.com"/>
In [[India]] and [[Pakistan]], tandoori cooking was traditionally associated with the [[Punjab region|Punjab]],<ref name="AutoO0-6"/> as Punjabis embraced the tandoor on a regional level,<ref name="AutoO0-7"/> and became popular in the mainstream after the 1947 partition when Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus resettled in places such as Delhi.<ref name="AutoO0-8"/> In rural Punjab, it was common to have communal tandoors.<ref name="apnaorg.com"/>
Some villages<ref name="AutoO0-9"/> still have a communal tandoor, a common sight before 1947.<ref name="AutoO0-10"/>
====Armenian tonir====
In ancient times, the ''tonir'' was worshiped by the Armenians as a symbol of the sun in the ground. Armenians made tonirs resembling the setting sun "going into the ground" (the Sun being the main deity). The underground tonir, made of clay, is one of the first tools in Armenian cuisine as an oven and thermal treatment tool. Armenians are said to have originated underground tonirs.<ref name="AutoO0-11"/>{{Unreliable source?|date=August 2019}}
====Azerbaijani tandir====
[[File:Azerbaijani tendir.JPG|thumb|Azerbaijani tendir.]]
In [[ancient times]], people used it to cook bread and various dishes.<ref name="AutoO0-12"/>
Tandir bread (''təndir çörəyi'', tandoori bread) is a widespread bread type in [[Azerbaijan]]. Tandir bread is baked from the heat of the tandir's walls, which ensures very fast baking.<ref name="AutoO0-13"/><ref name="AutoO0-14"/>
One of the world's biggest tandoors was built in Azerbaijan's southern city of [[Astara, Azerbaijan|Astara]] in 2015. The height of the tandoor is {{convert|6.5|m|ft|abbr=in}} and the diameter is {{convert|12|m|ft|abbr=in}}. The tandoor consists of 3 parts.<ref name="AutoO0-15"/>
====Turkmen tamdyr====
[[File:Turkmenistan bread baking.jpg|thumb|left|225px|Baking {{lang|tk|çörek}} and {{lang|tk|somsa}} in a Turkmen tamdyr.]]
The baking of a traditional, white bread called {{lang|tk|çörek}} in [[Turkmen language|Turkmen]] is an ancient and honored culinary [[ritual]] in [[Turkmenistan]]. It is made in the traditional clay oven, known as {{lang|tk|tamdyr}} in Turkmenistan.<ref name="Nuriev">{{cite journal |last1=Nuriev |first1=Ahmetjan |title=Bread baking is an ancient ritual in Turkmenistan |journal=Turkmenistan, the Analytic Illustrated Magazine |date=2005 |pages=80–83}}</ref>
[[File:Tamdyr6.jpg|thumb|Baking {{lang|tk|çörek}} in a Turkmen tamdyr.]]
Most [[Turkmen people|Turkmen]] families living in the rural area have tamdyrs in their households. Occasionally, housewives get together and bake {{lang|tk|çörek}} for several families. One of the most famous kinds of {{lang|tk|çörek}} baked in the Turkmen tamdyr is {{lang|tk|etli çörek}} (bread with meat), made during [[Holidays in Turkmenistan|traditional holidays]]. Turkmens bake not only bread in the tamdyr but also several dishes, the most famous of which is ''somsa'' (an independent dish, similar to a pie, of any shape with a filling, usually beef). Various [[spices]] can be added to the Turkmen bread: [[cumin]], [[cinnamon]], [[olives]], [[Mustard sauce|mustard]], [[sunflower seeds]] and other flavoring ingredients.<ref name="orient.tm">{{cite web |last1=Zarembo |first1=Vladimir |title=Tamdyr in the yard - peace on Earth (in Russian) |url=https://orient.tm/tamdyr-vo-dvore-mir-na-zemle/ |website=Orient |access-date=14 September 2020 |archive-date=2 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102054048/https://orient.tm/tamdyr-vo-dvore-mir-na-zemle/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> To prepare tamdyr for baking; first, fire is made directly inside the tamdyr, usually using dried cotton stalks. The bread-maker then watches the color of the tamdyr's inner walls. When they turn white, the ashes are shoveled into the center of the tamdyr, and the lower ash-pit is closed.<ref name="Nuriev"/>
The bread must be thrown into the oven carefully but deftly so that it does not lose shape and neatly sticks to the wall.<ref name="orient.tm"/>
== Dishes ==
[[File:200612 Yemen-212 (354275379).jpg|thumb|left|[[Yemen]]i modern tandoor (tannour) used for making flatbread known as [[Malawach|Mulawah]].]]
[[File:Թոնրի խորոված 3.jpg|thumb|upright|Chicken [[khorovats]], onions and potato slices with pork fat in between roasted in tonir in [[Armenia]].]]
A tandoor may be used to bake many different types of flatbread. Some of the most common are [[lavash]], [[tandoori roti]], [[tandoori naan]], tandoori laccha [[paratha]], missi roti, [[laffa]], and tandoori [[kulcha]].
''Peshawari Khar'' are roasted cashews and cottage cheese paste marinated in spiced thick cream grilled in a tandoor.
''Balochs and aloos'' are potatoes stuffed with cottage cheese, vegetables, and cashew nuts, roasted in a tandoor.
[[Tandoori chicken]] is a roasted chicken [[delicacy]] that originated in [[Punjab]] region of South Asia.<ref name="AutoO0-16"/><ref name="AutoO0-17"/> The chicken is marinated in yogurt seasoned with [[garam masala]], [[garlic]], [[ginger]], [[cumin]], [[cayenne pepper]], and other spices depending on the recipe. In hot versions of the dish, cayenne, red chili powder, or other spices give the typical red color; in milder versions, [[food coloring]] is used.<ref name="AutoO0-18"/> [[Turmeric]] produces a yellow-orange color. It is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor but can also be prepared on a traditional grill.
[[Chicken tikka]] is a dish from [[Mughlai cuisine]] that originated in [[Punjab]] region. It is made by grilling small pieces of boneless chicken which have been [[marinate]]d in [[spices]] and [[yogurt]]. It is traditionally cooked on skewers in a tandoor and is usually boneless. It is normally served and eaten with a green [[coriander]] [[chutney]] or used in preparing the curry [[chicken tikka masala|chicken ''tikka masala'']].
[[Kebab#Tangdi|Tangdi kabab]], a popular snack in [[cuisine from the Indian subcontinent]], is made by marinating chicken drumsticks and placing them in a tandoor. Various freshly ground spices are added to the yogurt to form a marinade for the chicken. Traditionally, the marinaded chicken is given 12 hours at the least. When prepared, the drumsticks are usually garnished with mint leaves and served with laccha (finely sliced half moons, with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt) onions.
[[Samosa]] is a stuffed snack consisting of a fried or baked triangular, semilunar, or tetrahedral pastry shell with a savory filling, which may include spiced potatoes, onions, peas, coriander, and lentils, or ground lamb or chicken. The size and shape of a samosa and the consistency of the pastry used can vary considerably. In some regions of [[Central Asia]] (i.e., [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Turkmenistan]] and [[Uzbekistan]]), samosas are typically baked in a tandoor, while they are usually fried elsewhere.
== See also ==
* {{annotated link|Kamado}}
* {{annotated link|List of cooking appliances}}
* {{annotated link|Masonry oven}}
* {{annotated link|Primitive clay oven}}
* {{annotated link|Tabun oven}}
* {{annotated link|Tandoor bread}}
== References ==
{{reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="AutoO0-1">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/1872sanskriten00moniuoft|page=[https://archive.org/details/1872sanskriten00moniuoft/page/201 201]|title=A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: ...with Special Reference to Greek, Latin, Gothic, German, Anglo-saxon...|last=Monier-Williams|first=Monier|date=1872|publisher=Clarendon|language=en}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-cFcH2ZHWLcC|title=Indian Food Tradition A Historical Companion|author=Achaya K. T.|year=1994|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-562845-6|access-date=6 February 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-4">{{cite web|url=https://luxury-tandoors.com/customer-care/user-guide/|title=User Guide|work=luxury-tandoors.com}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-5">{{cite web|url=http://www.vahrehvah.com/indianfood/tandoori-chicken/|title=Tandoori Chicken|work=vahrehvah.com}}</ref>
<ref name="apnaorg.com">{{Cite web|url=http://apnaorg.com/books/gurmukhi/kehal-1/book.php?fldr=book|title=Gurmukhi Book - Alop Ho Reha Virsa; Pure|website=apnaorg.com}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-6">[https://books.google.com/books?id=IcAGtDUWtYEC&dq=tandoor+rajasthan&pg=PA47] The Rough Guide to Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra By Daniel Jacobs, Gavin Thomas</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-7">{{cite web|url=http://www.indiacurry.com/faqhistory/mughalcuisine.htm|title=What is Mughalai Cuisine?|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010004646/http://www.indiacurry.com/faqhistory/mughalcuisine.htm|archive-date=10 October 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-8">{{cite news|last=Raichlen|first=Steven|title=A Tandoor Oven Brings India's Heat to the Backyard|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/dining/a-tandoor-oven-brings-indias-heat-to-the-backyard.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|access-date=17 January 2015|work=The New York Times|date=10 May 2011}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-9">Pind Diyan Gallian PTC Channel - Bilga (Jalandhar) has a communal Tandoor also known as tadoor in Punjabi</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-10">{{cite web|url=http://www.shvoong.com/medicine-and-health/nutrition/1866706-specialities-punjabi-cuisine/|title=specialities Punjabi cuisine|work=shvoong.com|access-date=18 July 2015|archive-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914172944/http://www.shvoong.com/medicine-and-health/nutrition/1866706-specialities-punjabi-cuisine|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-11">{{cite web|title=Armenian symbol of the Sun in the ground|url=https://narinnamkn.wordpress.com/2013/12/28/armenian-symbol-of-the-sun-in-the-ground/|date=28 December 2013|work=narinnamkn.wordpress.com|access-date=10 November 2015|archive-date=4 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104043718/https://narinnamkn.wordpress.com/2013/12/28/armenian-symbol-of-the-sun-in-the-ground/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-12">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20170620-life-on-earths-biggest-pressure-cooker|title=Life on Earth's biggest pressure cooker|publisher=BBC}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-13">{{cite web|url=http://www.travelphotoreport.com/2012/03/27/tandyr-bake-bread-baku-azerbaijan/|title=What is Tandyr or how traditional bread is baked in Baku|date=27 March 2012|work=travelphotoreport.com}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-14">{{cite web|url=http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/tendir-choreyi-azerbaijan-471885|title=Tendir Choreyi Azerbaijan Recipe|work=geniuskitchen.com}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-15">{{Cite web|url=https://en.azvision.az/news/16919/news.html|title=Azerbaijan to build the world's biggest tandoor|website=en.azvision.az|language=en|access-date=2 September 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-16">{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/11/24/stories/2008112450160200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629015351/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/11/24/stories/2008112450160200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 June 2011 |title=Metro Plus Delhi / Food : A plateful of grain |date=24 November 2008 |access-date=7 May 2009 |work=[[The Hindu]] |location=Chennai, India}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-17">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/rude-hotels/2009/02/01/where-does-biryani-come-from/|title=Where does biryani come from?|work=Hindustan Times|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624141257/http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/rude-hotels/2009/02/01/where-does-biryani-come-from/|archive-date=24 June 2016}}</ref>
<ref name="AutoO0-18">For instance, see the recipe in [[Madhur Jaffrey]]'s ''Indian Cookery'' pp66-69</ref>
}}
==Bibliography==
{{commons category}}
{{refbegin}}
* ''Curry Club Tandoori and Tikka Dishes'', Piatkus, London — {{ISBN|0-7499-1283-9}} (1993)
* ''Curry Club 100 Favourite Tandoori Recipes'', Piatkus, London — {{ISBN|0-7499-1491-2}}  & {{ISBN|0-7499-1741-5}} (1995)
* ''India: Food & Cooking'', New Holland, London — {{ISBN|978-1-84537-619-2}} (2007)
{{refend}}
{{Cooking Techniques}}
{{Cuisine of India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2021}}
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