A Tandoor oven is essentially a very large clay pot, often standing waist-high above the kitchen floor. The sides of a Tandoor oven curve inwards towards a centralized exhaust hole.
Temperatures in a Tandoor can approach 900°F, and it is common for Tandoor ovens to remain lit for long periods 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 oven is akin to a traditional pizza oven used in Italian restaurants or an open pit barbecue in American grills.
The Tandoor is used for cooking certain types of Indian & Middle Eastern foods such as Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Tikka and bread varieties like Tandoori Roti and Naan. Tandoori refers to a dish that is cooked in the Tandoor oven.
Learn more about Tandoor cooking by watching the short videos below.
