Tandoor
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A tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven used in Transcaucasus, the Balkans, the Middle East, Central Asia, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, in which food is cooked over a hot charcoal fire. 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, and is used almost exclusively for live-fire, radiant heat cooking.
Tandoor is used for cooking certain types of Indian, Irani, and Pakistani food, such as tandoori chicken and bread varieties like tandoori roti and naan. (The word tandoori is the adjective form.) It is also known as a tonir in Armenian which is a widely used method of cooking barbecue and lavash bread. In Georgia it is called a tone and is used for bread and kebab.
The tandoor is also known by another name of 'Bhatti' in India. The Bhatti tribe of the Thar Desert of Northwestern India and Eastern Pakistan developed the Bhatti in their desert abode, and thus it gained the name of Bhatti. It is thought to have travelled to Central Asia and the Middle East along with the Roma, who originated amongst the Thar Desert tribes.
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.
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[edit] Etymology
The oldest example of a tandoor was found in the Harappa and Mohenjo Daro settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization. In Sanskrit, the tandoor was referred to as kandu. The word tandoor comes from the Urdu words tandūr and tannūr; these are derived from very similar terms, viz. Persian tanūr (تنور), Arabic tandūr, Turkish Tandır and Azeri word təndir (which all have the same meaning as explained in the article). According to Dehkhoda Persian Dictionary the word has originated from Akkadian tinûru, Avestan tanûra and Pahlavi tanûr and as such, the term might be neither of Semitic nor Iranian origin and dates back to periods before migration of Aryan and Semitic people to Iranian plateau and Mesopotamia when they had been populated by their original native inhabitants.
[edit] Tandoori Cuisine
[edit] Chicken Tikka
- see main article, Chicken Tikka
Chicken tikka (Hindi: मुर्ग़ टिक्का / murgh tikka ) is a South Asian dish made by grilling small pieces of chicken which have been marinated in spices and yogurt. It is traditionally cooked upon 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.
[edit] Tandoori Chicken
- see main article, Tandoori Chicken
Tandoori Chicken is a Punjabi dish dating back to the time of the Mughal Empire in Central and Southern Asia, it is still popular throughout that area. The chicken is marinated in a yogurt seasoned with garam masala, garlic, ginger, cumin, cayenne pepper, and other spices depending on the recipe. Cayenne, red chili powder, or other spices give the typical red color. Turmeric produces a yellow-orange color. In some modern versions red and yellow food coloring is used instead. It is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in an earthen oven (i.e. tandoor), but can also be prepared on a traditional grill.
In many Indian restaurants red Tandoori chicken is served with sliced onions and wedges of fresh lemon or lime. India's version of barbecued chicken, Tandoori chicken is one of the most popular delicacies stemming from the North of India and has survived years of perfection.
