‘Tandoori’ comes from tandoor, a clay oven used from ancient times in Punjab, (northern India), Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, Iran and the Middle East. The cylindrical oven is heated with coal or firewood burning within it. Meats and flatbreads cooked in this have acquired the name of ‘tandoori’ cuisine.
It is thought that the Mughals, India’s epicurean rulers, first brought tandoori cuisine to the country. The genre went democratic when restaurateur Kundan Lal Gujral, from Peshawar, Pakistan, set up shop in Delhi after the two countries were partitioned. He innovated with the tandoor (which until then had been used to cook only bread) and came up with the now iconic tandoori chicken. His restaurant, Moti Mahal in Old Delhi, is a pilgrimage center of sorts for anyone who loves North Indian food.
Tandoori food is relished for its crisp exterior and soft, succulent inner portions. It’s pretty awe-inspiring, watching a bare-handed chef slide off super hot kebabs from long skewers or peeling breads from the inside wall of a tandoor!
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