Tava
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A tava(h) / tawa(h) (mainly on the Indian subcontinent), saj (in Arabic), sac (in Turkish), and other variations, [clarification needed ] is a metal cooking utensil.[1] The tawa is round and is usually curved: the concave side is used as a wok or frying pan, the convex side for cooking flatbreads and pancakes.[1] [2] There are also flat tawas.
The Indian tawa might have a handle or not, and it can be made of cast iron, aluminium,[1] or carbon steel.[3] It may be enameled or given a non-stick surface.[4] [5] The tawa and saj are used in the cuisines of South,[1] Central, and West Asia, as well as of the Balkans. The tawa is also used in Indo-Caribbean cuisine.[6]
Names by region
[edit ]Taaba, tava, tawa
[edit ]In Iran, the Persian word tāve (تاوه ) is used[7] which is derived from the Persian word taaba which means something that is curved or tempered. The root word taab in Persian is a verb which means to bend or temper or curve (but see here-below for the use of saj in Iran). It is cognate with tawaa, a word which in nearly all Indo-Aryan languages such as Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu means cooking pan.[8] In Afghanistan, the curved cast-iron utensil used for cooking bread is known as tawah,[9] but in Pashto it is more popularly known as tabakhey (تبخے/طبخی).[citation needed ] The Georgian cognate is tapa (ტაფა ).[citation needed ]
Saj, sac
[edit ]
Saj (Arabic: صاج , lit. 'sheet-metal') is the equivalent of tava in Arabic,[10] [11] with the equivalent sac in Turkish, and is used in Southwest Asia.[9] The name "sac" comes from Old Turkish "sāç".[12] In Iran, saj is used for the curved iron plate employed in cooking bread[9] (but see here-above for the use of tāve in Iran).
Variants, change of meaning
[edit ]The word tava is also used in Turkish and all across the Balkans, and refers to any kind of frying pan.[citation needed ][dubious – discuss ] In Serbia and Bulgaria, however, a тава (tava) is a metal baking tray with raised margins (for the meaning of sach in those same countries, see here-below).[citation needed ] In Romanian and Albanian too, tava and "tavë" can mean baking tray, such as employed for baking in an oven, but it can also mean tray, such as used for serving food and drink.[13]
The sač is a saj-shaped lid used as a cooking utensil in the Balkans. In Serbia and Bulgaria, the flat ceramic сач (sach) or сачѐ (sachè) is used for tabletop cooking of thin slices of vegetables and meat[citation needed ] (for the meaning of tava in those same countries, see here-above).
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Pita being baked on a convex saj
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Reversible Azerbaijani sac with handles
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Markouk being baked on a convex saj
Uses
[edit ]A tava or saj is used to bake a variety of leavened and unleavened flatbreads and pancakes across the broad region: pita, naan, saj bread, roti, chapati, paratha, dosa, and pesarattu. In Pakistan, especially in rural areas, large convex saj are used to cook several breads at the same time or to make rumali roti.
In Turkey and the Levant, a saj is used to make the starch wafers used in güllaç.[14]
Besides making bread, a tava or saj can be used as a pan to cook meat and vegetables, or other foods. For example, sajiyeh (Arabic: صاجية) is a dish made by frying meat and vegetables (typically bell peppers) in olive oil on a saj, popular in Jordan and Palestine.[15] [16]
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A Palestinian woman baking markook on a saj in a West Bank village
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A roti being baked on a tava
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Gözleme, a filled bread, being baked on a sac
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Manasir woman preparing qurasah (قراصة), the daily bread on Sherari Island in Dar al-Manasir in Northern Sudan
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Sajiyeh in Jordan, made from chicken and vegetables
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Vegetables fried in a tawa
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Aloo chaat being cooked in a large tava
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Fish frying in a tawa
See also
[edit ]- Comal (cookware), a similar utensil in Mexican cuisine
- Karahi, a similar utensil in Indian cuisine
- Mittad
- Griddle, a flat cast iron used in frying
- Skillet, a frying pan with a long handle
- Mongolian barbecue, a Taiwanese grill dish sometimes using a saj-like frying pan
- List of cooking vessels
References
[edit ]- ^ a b c d Petrina Verma Sarkar. "What Is an Indian Tawa?". The Spruce Eats. Retrieved 2019年10月02日.
- ^ Fodor's Turkey. Fodor's Travel. 27 May 2014. ISBN 9780804141925.
- ^ "Tawa". Made In Cookware. Retrieved 2023年12月13日.
- ^ Marie Simmons, Things Cooks Love: Implements, Ingredients, Recipes, 2008, ISBN 0740769766, p. 251
- ^ South Indian Cooking. Sanjay & Co. ISBN 9788189491796.
- ^ Mason, Taymer (2016). Caribbean Vegan: Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Authentic Island Cuisine for Every Occasion. The Experiment. ISBN 9781615193615 . Retrieved 2021年12月21日.
- ^ F. Steingass, A Comprehensive Persian–English Dictionary, 1930, p. 277
- ^ "A dictionary of Urdu, classical Hindi, and English". Dsalsrv02.uchicago.edu. Archived from the original on 2021年01月08日. Retrieved 2017年10月11日.
- ^ a b c Joseph, Suad; Najmabadi, Afsaneh, eds. (2003). Encyclopedia of Women & Islamic Cultures. Vol. 3: Family, Body, Sexuality And Health. BRILL. p. 109. ISBN 9004128190 . Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ Maxime Rodinson, et al., Medieval Arab cookery, 2001, p. 154
- ^ Hans Wehr, Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 1966, p. 499
- ^ [1] Nişanyan Dictionary "Sac"
- ^ "tavă". dexonline.ro. Retrieved 22 Dec 2021.
- ^ Helou, Anissa (20 June 2013). Levant: Recipes and memories from the Middle East. HarperCollins UK. ISBN 978-0-00-744862-3 . Retrieved 2 November 2025.
- ^ Kassis, Reem (14 Jul 2021). "Sajiyeh Recipe". NYT Cooking. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
- ^ "صحيفة عمون : أمين عام الزراعة: الصاجية من الخروف البلدي" [Secretary General of Agriculture: Sajieh made from local lamb]. Ammon News (in Arabic). 1 Dec 2021. Retrieved 3 November 2025.
Sources
[edit ]- "Your Desi (Indian) Kitchen on the Net". Archived from the original on 2008年04月08日. Retrieved 2008年04月01日.
- "Pots, Pans, and Griddles". Archived from the original on 2008年10月14日. Retrieved 2008年05月01日.
- "A Fork on the Road". - Miami Herald online. Retrieved February 21, 2008.[dead link ]
- "Saj Femmes". Blog: Land and People. 2007年09月23日. Retrieved February 21, 2008.