Place of origin Punjab | ||
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Similar Sattu, Makki di roti, Sarson da saag, Tandoor bread | ||
The Punjabi tandoor (Gurmukhī:ਤੰਦੂਰ; Shahmukhi:تندور) is a clay oven and is traditionally used to cook Punjabi cuisine.
Contents
It is traditional to have tandoors in courtyards of homes in the Punjab region to make roti and naan. In rural Punjab, it is traditional to have communal tandoors.
The tandoor is also used to make dishes such as tandoori chicken.
Design
The Punjabi tandoor is traditionally made of clay and is a bell-shaped oven, set into the earth and fired with wood or charcoal reaching temperatures of about 480 degrees. Punjabi tandoors can also rest above the ground.
Artefacts similar to the Punjabi tandoor have been discovered in the Indus valley sites however, use of the Punjabi tandoor is associated with Punjabi cooking in undivided Punjab.
Use
Punjabis have traditionally used the Punjabi tandoor on a regional level to cook meat dishes and breads. The use of the Punjabi tandoor is so entrenched in Punjabi culture that it forms a part of Punjabi folk songs.
The use of the Punjabi tandoor became popular in other regions of India, after the 1947 partition. Punjabis leaving West Punjab resettled in areas such as Delhi and brought their Punjabi tandoors with them.
Punjabi tandoor distinguished from bhathi oven
The Punjabi tandoor is to be distinguished from the Punjabi bhathi, an oven, which can be made out of bricks or mud and clay and is fired from an opening on one side. Punjabi bhathis are closed at the top with a metal cover and the smoke is emitted through a cylinder.
Bhathis can also be completely closed at the top with clay (such as the bhathis extensively used in Rajasthan) where they are called bhattis. or be open for bulk cooking.