View source for Tandoor

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[[File:Clay Pots.jpg||175px|thumb|Clay pots and assembly]]
[[File:Charcoal Fired S.Steel Body Tandoor, with ash tray & temp. meter.JPG|175px|thumb|Charcoal-fired stainless-steel tandoor, with ash tray and thermometer]]
}}[[File:Coal fired Drum Tandoor.jpg|175px|thumb|Coal fired M.S Drum Tandoor]]

The term '''tandoor''' {{IPAc-en|t|ɑ:|n|ˈ|d|ʊər}} refers to a variety of ovens, the most commonly known is a cylindrical clay or metal [[oven]] used in cooking and baking. The tandoor is used for cooking in [[South Asia|Southern]], [[Central Asia|Central]] and [[Western Asia]],<ref name="nytimes.com">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/dining/a-tandoor-oven-brings-indias-heat-to-the-backyard.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 | work=The New York Times | first=Steven | last=Raichlen | title=A Tandoor Oven Brings India's Heat to the Backyard | date=10 May 2011}}</ref> as well as in the [[Caucasus]].<ref name="Raichlen">{{cite news|last=Raichlen|first=Steven|title=A Tandoori 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|work=New York Times|accessdate=9 May 2011|date=10 May 2011}}</ref>

The heat for a tandoor was traditionally generated by a [[charcoal]] or [[wood]] fire, burning within the tandoor itself, thus exposing the food to live-fire, [[radiant heat]] cooking, and hot-air, [[convection]] cooking, and smoking by the fat and food juices that drip on to the charcoal.<ref name="Raichlen" /> 
Temperatures in a tandoor can approach 480&nbsp;°C (900&nbsp;°F), and it is common for tandoor ovens to remain lit for long periods to maintain the high cooking temperature. The tandoor design is something of a transitional form between a makeshift [[earth oven]] and the horizontal-plan [[masonry oven]].

==Etymology==
The word ''tonir'' is used in various languages like [[Dari (Eastern Persian)|Dari]]  words ''tandūr'' and ''tannūr''; these are derived from very similar terms, viz. [[Persian language|Persian]] ''tanūr'' (تنور), [[Armenian language|Armenian]] ''t’onir'' (Թոնիր), [[Arabic language|Arabic]] ''tannūr'' (تنّور), [[Hebrew]] (''תנור'') e.g. in Leviticus 2:4<ref>{{cite web|url=http://biblos.com/leviticus/2-4.htm|title=Leviticus 2:4|publisher=}}</ref> [[Turkish language|Turkish]] ''tandır'', [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]] ''tandir'', [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]] ''təndir'' and Kurdish ''tendûr''. However, according to [[Dehkhoda Dictionary|Dehkhoda Persian Dictionary]], the word originates from [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] ''tinûru'' "tin" means mud and nuro/nura means fire, and is mentioned as early as in the Akkadian [[Epic of Gilgames]] (as reflexed by [[Avestan]] ''tanûra'' and [[Zoroastrian Middle Persian|Pahlavi]] ''tanûr''). As such, tandoor may have originated from [[Semitic languages|Semitic]]. In [[Sanskrit]], the tandoor was referred to as ''kandu''. Tandoor’ is also said to have been derived from [[Persian language|Persian]]  word ‘Tannur’, derived from [[Babylonia]]n word ‘tinuru’ based on [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] word ‘nar’ meaning fire.

==Tandoor-cooked dishes==
[[File:Թոնրի խորոված 3.jpg|150px|thumb|right|Chicken wings, onions and potato slices with pork fat in between roasted in tonir in Armenia.]]
===Flatbread===
A tandoor may be used to bake many different types of flatbread. Some of the most common are Tandoori Roti, Tandoori [[Naan]], Tandoori Laccha [[Paratha]], Missi Roti, and Tandoori [[Kulcha]].

===Peshawari seekh===
Roasted cashews, corn and cottage cheese paste marinated in spiced thick cream grilled in Tandoor.

===Balochi aloo===
Potatoes stuffed with cottage cheese, vegetables and cashew nuts, roasted in Tandoor.

===Tandoori chicken===
[[Tandoori chicken]] is a roasted chicken [[delicacy]] that originated in [[Punjab]] region of [[India]] and [[Pakistan]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/11/24/stories/2008112450160200.htm |title=Metro Plus Delhi / Food : A plateful of grain |publisher=The Hindu |date=24 November 2008 |accessdate=7 May 2009 |location=Chennai, India}}</ref><ref>{{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}}</ref>

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>For instance, see the recipe in [[Madhur Jaffrey]]'s ''Indian Cookery'' pp66-69</ref> [[Turmeric]] produces a yellow-orange color. It is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in an earthen oven (i.e. tandoor), but can also be prepared on a traditional grill.

===Chicken tikka===
[[Chicken tikka]] ({{lang-ur|مرغ تکہ }}; {{lang-hi|मुर्ग़ टिक्का}};  murgh tikka) is a dish from [[Mughlai cuisine]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianfoodforever.com/non-veg/chicken/chicken-tikka.html|title=Recipe Of Chicken Tikka, Indian Barbecue}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.khanakhazana.com/recipes/view.aspx?id=1066|title=Chicken Tikka Masala|work=khanakhazana.com}}</ref> made by grilling small pieces of [[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'']].

===Kalmi kabab===
[[Kebab#Kalmi|Kalmi kabab]], a popular snack in South Asian cuisine, 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===
[[File:Samsa in Karakol.jpg|thumb|right|170px|Filled and cut [[samosa]] ready to be baked in [[Karakol]], [[Kyrgyzstan]]]]
[[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, as well as 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.

==Types of tandoor==
===Afghan tandoor===
The [[Afghan bread|Afghan tandoor]] sits above the ground and is made of bricks.{{cn|date=October 2016}}

===Punjabi tandoor===
The [[Punjabi tandoor]] from the [[Indian Subcontinent]] is traditionally made of clay and is a bell-shaped oven, which can either be set into the earth and fired with wood or charcoal reaching temperatures of about 480 degrees Celsius (900 Fahrenheit),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vahrehvah.com/indianfood/tandoori-chicken/|title=Tandoori Chicken|work=vahrehvah.com}}</ref> or rest above the ground. Tandoor cooking is a traditional aspect of [[Punjabi cuisine]] in undivided [[Punjab]].<ref name="apnaorg.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.apnaorg.com/books/gurmukhi/kehal-1/book.php?fldr=book|title=Alop Ho Reha Punjabi Virsa Harkesh Singh Kehal}}</ref>

In [[India]] and [[Pakistan]], tandoori cooking was traditionally associated with the [[Punjab region|Punjab]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=IcAGtDUWtYEC&pg=PA47&lpg=PA47&dq=tandoor+rajasthan&source=bl&ots=23kNU2kQll&sig=XxQCrttiappuvHiV4WVA0Af6_Bo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=2iLlUczmCcKV0AX2_oH4Cw&ved=0CGoQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=tandoor%20rajasthan&f=false] The Rough Guide to Rajasthan, Delhi  and Agra  By Daniel Jacobs, Gavin Thomas</ref> as Punjabis embraced the tandoor on a regional level,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiacurry.com/faqhistory/mughalcuisine.htm|title=What is Mughalai Cuisine?}}</ref> and became popular in the mainstream after the 1947 partition when Punjabi Hindus resettled in places such as Delhi.<ref>{{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|accessdate=17 January 2015|work=The New York Times|date=10 May 2011}}</ref> In rural Punjab, it was common to have communal tandoors.<ref name="apnaorg.com"/>
Some villages<ref>Pind Diyan Gallian PTC Channel - Bilga (Jalandhar) has a communal Tandoor also known as tadoor in Punjabi</ref> still have a communal tandoor, which was a common sight prior to 1947.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shvoong.com/medicine-and-health/nutrition/1866706-specialities-punjabi-cuisine/|title=specialities Punjabi cuisine|work=shvoong.com|accessdate=2015-07-18}}</ref>

===Armenian tonir===
In ancient times,{{When|date=March 2015}} the ''tonir'' was worshiped by the Armenians as a symbol of the sun in the ground. Armenians made tonirs in resemblance with 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 as a thermal treatment tool. Armenians are said to have originated underground tonirs.<ref>{{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|accessdate=10 November 2015}}</ref>

==See also==
{{colbegin|1}}
*[[Kamado]]
*[[List of cooking appliances]]
*[[Masonry oven]]
*[[Tabun oven]]
*{{portal-inline|Food}}
{{colend}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==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}}

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