A Tandoor is a tall, cylindrical clay oven used throughout India (and found in Indian restaurants throughout the world), the traditional rounded-top tandoor oven is made of brick and clay. Flat breads, as well as various meats and kebabs, traditionally cooked in this oven are referred to as Tandoori. Foods is baked over direct heat produced from a smoky fire. The dough for the Indian bread naan is slapped directly onto the oven's clay walls and left to bake until puffy and lightly browned. Meats cooked in the tall, rather cylindrical tandoor are usually skewered and thrust into the oven's heat, which is so intense

(usually over 500°F) that it cooks a chicken half in less than 5 minutes. The word tandoori is frequently used to describe food that has been marinated in paste made using several spices like ginger, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric etc and mixed with puréed garlic, puréed ginger, lemon juice, oil and, frequently, yoghurt. Chicken and other meats cooked with this method are identified as tandoori chicken, etc.

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 derive from the Persian tanūr, which comes from the Arabic word tannūr, from which the Turkish word Tandır and the Azeri word təndir (which has the same meaning as explained in the article) originate. It is used for cooking certain types of Indian 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.

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 Gypsies or Roma, who originated amongst the Thar Desert tribes.

The tandoor is currently a very important fixture in many Indian restaurants around the world. Food cooked in a tandoor retains all the juices and taste inside and hence is considered very healthy[citation needed]. Many people have installed a tandoor in their homes for making bread and kababs. Some modern day tandoors use electricity or gas instead of charcoal.

Tandoori Cuisine

Chicken Tikka

Tandoori chicken is a popular dish in Punjabi cuisine.see main article, Chicken Tikka

Chicken tikka (Hindi: murgh tikka ) is a Northern Indian dish made by grilling small pieces of chicken which have been marinated in spices and yogurt. It is traditionally made on skewers in a tandoor (Indian clay oven) and is usually boneless. It is normally served and eaten with a green coriander chutney, or used in a preparing the curry Chicken Tikka Masala.

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. It is traditionally quite hot. Cayenne, red chili powder, or other spices give it its 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 they serve the red Tandoori chicken with sliced onions. It is India's version of barbecued chicken and being one of the most popular delicacies stemming from the North of India it has survived years of perfection. The Tandoori chicken when served should be accompanied by freshly cut onions, and wedges of fresh lime.

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