Tandoor

A cylindrical clay oven, traditionally set into the ground or a fixed brick structure, reaching very high temperatures used to bake bread against its interior walls and to roast skewered meat suspended within.

Material & Construction

Fired clay, often insulated within an outer metal or masonry casing in modern commercial versions; a charcoal or wood fire is built at the base.

Traditional Uses

Baking naan and other breads slapped directly onto the interior wall; roasting tandoori chicken and kebabs suspended on skewers over the same heat source.

Modern Availability / Equivalents

Modern gas- and electric-heated tandoors are widely available for restaurant use; home cooks commonly substitute a very hot oven with a baking stone or pizza steel, though the direct radiant-wall cooking cannot be fully replicated at home.

Care & Maintenance

Requires periodic reseasoning of the clay interior and regular ash removal from the base fire.

The Middle Eastern tanoor, Central Asian tandyr and South Asian tandoor are three closely related regional oven traditions.