History Of Clay Tandoor

A tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven used in cooking and baking. The tandoor is used for cooking in India, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Transcaucasus, the Balkans, the Middle East, Central Asia as well as Burma and Bangladesh.

The heat for a tandoor was traditionally generated by a charcoal fire or wood fire, burning within the tandoor itself, thus exposing the food to both live-fire, radiant heat cooking, and hot-air, convection cooking.

Temperatures in a tandoor can approach 480°C (900°F), and it is common for tandoor ovens to remain lit for long periods of time 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,

The tandoor is currently a very important fixture in many Indian restaurants around the world. Some modern day tandoors use electricity or gas instead of charcoal..

The tandoori oven has become very popular as it cooks very quickly without burning. The oven is often fueled with wood, coal or gas. All of these mediums produce a scorching heat which is ideal for cooking breads or meats. Preparing the tandoori oven is just as important as the cooking itself.

Start a fire with charcoal in the bottom of the oven, and when the coals are white hot you are ready to cook seafood, meats, and bread. Some popular items cooked in a tandoori oven are tandoori chicken and the popular naan bread which is customary in India and Pakistan. The food is permeated with an aroma of marinade, clay and charcoal smoke, and the scent is intoxicating. The meat is often cooked on long skewers that can be inserted directly into the oven. Cooking in a tandoori oven will produce very succulent and tender meat, as the cooking process is optimum for sealing in all the flavors and juices.

Cooking food at a high temperature in a clay pot can be traced back over 2000 years to when the Egyptians were building the pyramids and baking bread for the workers. It is the most simple and fundamental way of cooking, using a clay pot buried in the ground, fired up with wood.

Tandoori food is often considered the culinary pride of the people of India. It is prepared with the greatest of care and the passion for this cooking often translates to irresistible food.