Tandoor

A tandoor is a large, vase-shaped oven, traditionally built from clay. It has been used since ancient times to bake both unleavened flatbreads like roti and lavash, and leavened ones such as naan and matnakash. The oven is also employed for roasting meat and vegetables. Its primary use is concentrated in South Asia, Western Asia, Central Asia, and the Horn of Africa.

The heat inside a tandoor comes from a fire of charcoal or wood, which cooks food through direct heat and smoke. These ovens can sit entirely above ground or be partially buried, sometimes reaching over a meter in height or depth. Internal temperatures can climb to 480 °C (900 °F), and tandoors are often kept lit for long periods, which is why traditional clay versions are typically found in restaurant kitchens. Modern tandoors are frequently made of metal, and variations with gas or electric heating elements are more common for home use.

**Etymology** The English term "tandoor" comes from the Hindustani *tandūr*, which traces back through Persian *tanūr* to the Akkadian *tinūru*—a word combining *tin* (mud) and *nuro/nura* (fire), mentioned as early as the Epic of Gilgamesh. Related forms include Avestan *tanûra* and Middle Persian *tanûr*. In Sanskrit, the oven was called *kandu*.

**Operation** The first time a tandoor is used, the temperature must be raised slowly to condition the clay interior, which helps ensure the oven lasts. This is done by starting a very small fire and gradually adding more fuel. Hairline cracks may appear during conditioning; this is normal and does not affect performance. When the oven cools, these cracks become barely visible. They are essential because they allow the clay to expand and contract with heat. The slower the temperature rises during the first use, the fewer cracks will develop.

**Types**

*Arab world*: tannour / tannur

*West Asia and South Asia*

*Armenian tonir* In Armenia, the oven is called a *tonir*. In ancient times, Armenians worshipped it as a symbol of the sun in the ground. Zoroastrian Armenians made tonirs shaped like the setting sun "going into the ground," as the sun was their main deity. This underground oven, made of clay and stone, is one of the earliest tools in Armenian cuisine, used for both baking and thermal treatment. It was traditionally placed in the center of most ancient Armenian households, and Armenians are credited with inventing the underground tonir.

Many Armenian dishes are prepared in the tonir, mostly breads, meats, or vegetables. Popular breads include lavash (a very thin flatbread for wrapping ingredients), matnakash (a thicker, focaccia-like bread), and tonir bread (tonri hats), which is round and soft, similar to bhatura. Some also bake filled sweet breads like gata. Bread is cooked by sticking it to the tonir’s walls, where it bakes evenly. Armenian bread, especially tonri hats, is often flavored with black pepper, mahleb, sesame seeds, nigella seeds, cumin, and sometimes cinnamon or anise.

For meat dishes, khorovats, khashlama, fish like sevan trout, and khash are popular. Khorovats is made by stacking seasoned meat (traditionally pork, but also lamb or chicken) with potatoes and onions on a skewer and cooking it inside the tonir. A wet cloth is placed over the opening to cook the meat more efficiently and add a smoky flavor. Armenian tonir meats are typically spiced with black pepper, paprika, garlic, sumac, onions, and in some regions, fenugreek. Vegetables such as eggplants, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and potatoes are also cooked alone in the tonir.

*Turkmen tamdyr* In Turkmenistan, baking a traditional white bread called *çörek* in a clay *tamdyr* oven is a medieval practice. Most rural Turkmen families have tamdyrs in their homes. Occasionally, housewives gather to bake çörek for several families. A famous variety is *etli çörek* (bread with meat), made during holidays. Turkmens also bake *somsa*—a folded pie similar to a samosa or pasty, usually filled with beef—in the tamdyr. Spices like cumin, cinnamon, olives, mustard seeds, and sunflower seeds can be added to the bread. To prepare the tamdyr, a fire is lit inside, often using dried cotton stalks. The baker watches the inner walls; when they turn white, the ashes are shoveled to the center, and the lower ash-pit is closed. The bread is thrown in carefully so it sticks neatly to the wall without losing its shape.

*Punjabi tandoor* The Punjabi tandoor from South Asia is traditionally made of clay and shaped like a bell. It can be set into the earth or rest above ground, fired with wood or charcoal, and reaches temperatures around 480 °C (900 °F). Tandoor cooking is a traditional part of Punjabi cuisine in undivided Punjab. In India and Pakistan, tandoori cooking was traditionally...