Tava

Indian Tawa

A tava(h), tawa(h), teghna(h), tabbakhe(y), tapa, saj, or sac is a large, flat or convex disc-shaped frying pan made from metal, usually sheet iron, cast iron, sheet steel or aluminium. It is used in South, Central, and West Asia, as well as in Caucasus, for cooking a variety of flatbreads and as a frying pan for meat. It also sometimes refers to ceramic frying pan.

In West Asia, tava/saj are invariably convex, while in South Asia, both flat and convex versions are found.

Etymology

In Hindi and Urdu tawaa means pan^[1] and is used in South Asia, including India and Pakistan. It is cognate with the Persian word tava(h)/tawa(h), which is used in Iran, and with the Georgian tapa (ტაფა); while the Turkic name saj (lit. sheet-metal and written saç or sac in Turkish and صاج in Arabic)^[2] is used in Southwest Asia, with overlap in Pakistan and Afghanistan.^[3] The word tava is also used in Turkish and Croatian, and refers to any kind of frying pan. In Bulgaria, flat ceramic сач or сачѐ (sach/sache) are used for table-top cooking of thin slices of vegetables and meat; тава (tava), on the other hand, are metal baking dishes with sides.

Uses

A tava or saj is used to cook a variety of leavened and unleavened flatbreads and crepes across the broad region: Pita, Naan, saj bread, roti, chapati, paratha, chaap, Pav Bhaji, chaat, dosa, and pesarattu.

In Pakistan, especially in rural areas, large convex saj are used to cook several breads at a same time or to make rumali roti.

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  Saj bread being cooked on a 'saj'

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  A Palestinian woman cooking markook bread on a saj in a West Bank village.

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  Markook being cooked prepared on a saj.

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  A gas-fired saç (rear) in a restaurant near Antalya

Meat is often cooked on a saj. The traditional Georgian chicken tapaka is cooked on a tapa.

In South Asia, tavas are also used to fry foods called tava fry, taka tak bhaji, tawa bhaji, tawa masala, etc.

See also

• Sač, a cooking utensil used in the Balkans with a saj-shaped lid
• Mongolian barbecue, a Taiwanese grill dish sometimes using a saj-like frying pan.
• Comal (cookware), a similar utensil in Mexican cuisine

Notes

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tava.