Tandoor is the label given to clay cooking pots, formed like a drum or barrel and extensively used in Middle Eastern and Eastern foods. They basically work like an oven, the heat comes from inside, from a small hearth lit within the bottom. Like a charcoal grill, the meal cooks over glowing embers, but not like a barbecue, the meat is surrounded by warmth, resulting in a quicker and hotter cooking experience.
These clay ovens, may be central to the cooking expertise in some countries and used to cook all their meals. Sometimes they are buried in the sand in a communal area and used to feed the neighborhood as a whole. In other countries, they sit beside other home equipment in the kitchen, and are solely for domestic use.
Nowadays there are numerous different styles and sizes of tandoor, however the central clay heart is a constant. Typically speaking, the warmth is still due to a wooden or charcoal fire, but gas models also exist too. Modern models are often cased in stainless steel and from the outside look like every other kitchen appliance found in a restaurant kitchen or home kitchen.

The succulent Indian dish tandoori chicken is probably the most famous dish cooked in this way, and not surprisingly takes its name from the oven it’s cooked in. However, one of many primary uses for tandoors is for baking flat breads like roti and naan. The raw dough is stuck to the edges of the oven, and because it cooks bubbles sometimes they form against the clay giving it a pungent earthy flavor.