Tandoor

A tandoor (/tænˈdʊər/ or /tɑːnˈdʊər/) is a large vase-shaped oven, usually made of clay. Since antiquity, tandoors have been used to bake unleavened flatbreads, such as roti and traditional lavash, as well as leavened ones, such as naan and tandoor bread or matnakash. It is also used to roast meat and vegetables. Tandoors are predominantly used in South Asia, Western Asia, Central Asia, and the Horn of Africa.

The standard heating element of a tandoor is an internal charcoal or wood fire, which cooks food with direct heat and smoke. Tandoors can be fully above ground, or partially buried below ground, often reaching over a meter in height/depth. Temperatures in a tandoor can reach 480 °C (900 °F; 750 K), and they are routinely kept lit for extended periods. Therefore, traditional tandoors are usually found in restaurant kitchens. Modern tandoors are often made of metal. Variations, such as tandoors with gas or electric heating elements, are more common for at-home use.

The English word comes from the Hindustani tandūr, which came from Persian tanūr (تَنور) and ultimately from the Akkadian word tinūru (𒋾𒂟), which consists of the parts tin 'mud' and nuro/nura 'fire' and is mentioned as early as in the Epic of Gilgamesh, cf. or Avestan tanûra and Middle Persian tanûr. In Sanskrit, the tandoor was referred to as kandu.

Words related and similar to tandoor are used in various languages, for example the Dari words tandūr and tanūr, Punjabi words tanūr (تنور | ਤਨੂਰ) and tandūr (تندور | ਤੰਦੂਰ), Arabic tannūr (‏تنّور‎), Armenian t’onir (Թոնիր), Assyrian tanūra (ܬܢܘܪܐ), Azerbaijani təndir, Georgian tone (თონე), Hebrew tanúr (תנור), Kyrgyz tandyr (тандыр), Kazakh tandyr (тандыр), Pashto tanoor (تنور) and taneer (تانير), Kurdish tenûr, tendûr, Tat tənur, Tajik tanur (танур), Turkish tandır, Turkmen tamdyr, Uzbek tandir, Luganda ttanuulu, Swahili tanuri and Somali tinaar.^{[citation needed]}

The first time a tandoor is used, the temperature must be gradually increased to condition the oven's interior. This step is crucial in ensuring the longevity of the tandoor. Conditioning can be done by starting a very small fire and slowly adding fuel to increase the amount of heat inside the tandoor gradually. Hairline cracks might form during conditioning; this is normal and will not interfere with the performance of the tandoor oven. When the oven cools off, the hairline cracks may barely be noticeable. They are essential in allowing the clay body of the tandoor to breathe (i.e. thermal expansion and contraction). The slower the temperature inside the tandoor increases during its first use, the fewer hairline cracks it will develop.

In Armenia, the tandur is called tonir (Armenian: Թոնիր). In ancient times, the tonir was worshiped by the Armenians as a symbol of the sun in the ground. Pagan Armenians made tonirs resembling the setting sun "going into the ground" (the Sun being the main deity). The underground tonir, made of clay and stone, is one of the first tools in Armenian cuisine as an oven and thermal treatment tool. Therefore, the tonir used to be placed in the middle of most ancient Armenian households. Armenians are said to have invented underground tonirs.^{[unreliable source?]}

Multiple Armenian dishes are prepared using the tonir. Most of the dishes prepared by using a tonir are either breads, meats, or vegetables. The most popular bread dishes to be cooked by using a tonir are lavash, matnakash and tonir bread, also known as tonri hats (Armenian: թոնիր հաց). Lavash is a very thin flatbread used for wrapping meat, vegetables and other ingredients, while matnakash is thicker and used on the side. Matnakash is said to have a foccacia-like texture. Tonri hats is similar to matnakash, but what differentiates it from matnakash is its round shape and soft texture that resembles bhatura in a way. Some also use the tonir to bake filled sweet breads, like gata. The bread is baked by sticking it on the walls of the tonir, where it is evenly cooked. Armenian bread (especially tonri hats) is mainly flavored with black pepper, mahleb, sesame seeds, nigella seeds, cumin, and sometimes cinnamon, or anise.

Among the meat dishes prepared using a tonir, khorovats, khashlama, fish like the sevan trout, and the meat used for khash are the most popular meat-dishes that are prepared by using a tonir. Khorovats specifically is made by stacking seasoned meat (traditionally pork, but lamb and chicken are also common) and other ingredients like potatoes and onions on a skewer, before cooking them inside the tonir. Wet cloth is put on the opening of the tonir, in order to cook the meat more efficiently and to create a smoky flavor. Armenian "tonir meats" are mostly spiced with slat, black pepper, paprika, garlic, sumac, onions and in some regions, fenugreek.