Tandoor Temperature Management — Clay Oven Heat Stages (तन्दूर)

Central Asian origin — present across the Indian subcontinent, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Central Asia; the Indian tandoor tradition is most associated with Punjabi and Mughal court cuisine

The tandoor is a cylindrical clay oven fired from below, reaching temperatures of 400–480°C at its walls. The heat management within the tandoor involves three distinct cooking zones: the bottom (hottest — near the fire, for naan adhesion and for lowering marinated meats on skewers), the middle (primary cooking zone for tikka and kebabs), and the upper area (moderate heat, for finishing and for delicate proteins). The tandoor is lit 45–60 minutes before service — attempting to cook in an underheated tandoor produces steamed rather than charred results. The tandoor's heat retention is exceptional: a properly fired clay tandoor maintains cooking temperature for hours with minimal fuel input.

• The clay cylindrical oven parallels the Georgian tone (clay bread oven), the Azerbaijani tandir, and the Turkish tandır in the shared Central Asian clay-oven tradition.

Every tandoor-cooked preparation (naan, tikka, kebab, tandoori vegetables) depends on the clay wall's far-infrared radiation and the smoke from the wood/charcoal fire beneath.