#1 Best Guide To Cooking Terms In Turkish

Want to cook Turkish foods like kebap or Turkish lentil soup but do not know basic cooking terms in Turkish? No worries!

Turkey has always been considered one of the countries with the most delicious cuisine. Some of the best Turkish foods include lahmacun, yaprak sarma, roasted lamb, tavuk döner, mantı, stuffed lamb ribs, and kumpir.

In today’s blog post, I will teach you all the vocabulary commonly used in Turkish cooking so that you can easily follow Turkish recipes. You will also get an overview of the basic ingredients used in Turkish cuisine. So, let’s get started!

Let’s start learning from the flavors of basic Turkish food:

• Salty – Tuzlu
• Sweet – Tatlı
• Spicy – Baharatlı
• Bitter – Acı
• Sour – Ekşi

Common Kitchenware In Turkish Cuisine

Cooking Turkish food only requires basic kitchenware and ingredients. Before you learn all the commonly used terms for cooking Turkish food, here is a vocabulary list for common kitchenware (the Turkish word for kitchenware is mutfak gereçleri) in Turkish.

English	Turkish
Pot	Tencere
Pan	Tava
Stove	Ocak
Oven	Fırın
Spoon	Kaşık
Teaspoon	Çay kaşığı
Tablespoon	Yemek kaşığı
Fork	Çatal
Knife	Bıçak
Cutting board	Kesme tahtası
Oven mitts	Fırın eldiveni
Kettle	Su ısıtıcısı
Rice cooker	Pilav makinesi
Soup pot	Çorba tenceresi
Whisk	Çırpıcı
Grater	Rende
Mixing bowl	Karıştırma kabı
Measuring cup	Ölçü kabı
Strainer	Süzgeç
Peeler	Soyacak
Tongs	Maşa
Spatula	Spatula
Colander	Süzgeç
Grill	Izgara
Mortar and pestle	Dövme ve havan
Skewer	Şiş
Brush	Fırça
Ladle	Kepçe
Rolling pin	Oklava
Basting brush	Fırça

Cooking Terms In Turkish

Just like any other language, Turkish has its own unique words that are closely related to the country’s way of life. Although some English cooking styles are also used in Turkish cuisine, some cannot be translated directly. Below, you will find a list of some of these cooking styles with their direct translations:

English	Turkish
To grill	Közlemek
To boil	Kaynatmak
To braise	Kısık ateşte pişirmek
To chop/mince	Doğramak
To coat	Kaplamak
To cook	Pişirmek
To cut	Kesmek
To dissolve	Çözmek
To melt	Eritmek
To fry	Kızartmak
To glaze	Kaplamak
To grill (alternative)	Izgara yapmak
To grind	Öğütmek
To knead	Hamur yoğurmak
To marinate	Marine etmek
To mix together	Karıştırmak
To peel	Kabuğunu soymak
To pinch	Kıvırmak
To pour	Dökmek
To roast	Fırında pişirmek
To bake	Fırınlamak
To sauté	Sotelemek
To scoop	Kazmak
To sift/filter	Eleme yapmak
To slice	Dilimlemek
To snip	Kesmek
To steam	Buharla pişirmek
To stew/simmer	Kısık ateşte pişirmek
To stuff	Doldurmak
To wrap	Sarmak

Now that you already know some of the cooking styles, please be sure to check out our previous posts on popular Turkish foods so you can see which types of food use these styles. If you are already in Turkey and would like to order specific foods, check out this blog post about ordering food in Turkish.

Food Ingredients In Turkish

If you have tasted traditional Turkish dishes, you probably understand when I say that there is something unique with how they bring out flavors, whether in the meat, soup, or vegetables cooked. Here are some of the common ingredients used in Turkish foods:

English	Turkish
Butter	Tereyağ
Melted butter	Erimiş tereyağ
Cabbage	Lahana
Carrot	Havuç
Celery	Kereviz
Cucumber	Salatalık
Leek	Pırasa
Potato	Patates
Pumpkin	Kabak
Tomato	Domates
Bell pepper	Dolmalık biber
Eggplant	Patlıcan
Mushroom	Mantar
Cauliflower	Karnabahar
Broccoli	Brokoli
Corn	Mısır
Pea	Bezelye
Parsley	Maydanoz
Dill	Dereotu
Cilantro	Kişniş
Basil	Fesleğen
Thyme	Kekik
Rosemary	Biberiye
Sage	Adaçayı
Mint	Nane
Green beans	Yeşil fasulye
Garlic	Sarımsak
Onion	Soğan
Shallot	Arpacık soğan
Ginger	Zencefil
Dried mint	Kuru nane
Green pepper	Yeşil biber
Red pepper	Kapya biber
Red pepper powder	Pul biber
Lemon	Limon
Lime	Limon
Orange	Portakal
Apple	Elma
Pear	Armut
Peach	Şeftali
Apricot	Kayısı
Plum	Erik
Cherry	Kiraz
Strawberry	Çilek
Raspberry	Frambuaz
Blueberry	Yaban mersini
Blackberry	Böğürtlen
Grape	Üzüm
Watermelon	Karpuz
Cantaloupe	Kavun
Honeydew melon	Kavun
Pineapple	Ananas
Mango	Mango
Papaya	Papaya
Kiwi	Kivi
Banana	Muz
Coconut	Hindistancevizi
Avocado	Avokado
Olive	Zeytin
Olive oil	Zeytinyağı
Almond	Badem
Walnut	Ceviz
Hazelnut	Fındık
Pistachio	Antep fıstığı
Cashew	Kaju
Peanut	Fıstık
Sunflower seeds	Ayçiçeği çekirdeği
Sesame seeds	Susam çekirdeği
Flaxseed	Keten tohumu
Poppy seeds	Haşhaş tohumu
Chia seeds	Chia tohumu
Quinoa	Quinoa
Bulgur	Bulgur
Couscous	Kuskus
Lentil	Mercimek
Chickpea	Nohut
Bean	Fasulye
Kidney bean	Barbunya fasulye
Black bean	Siyah fasulye
Lima bean	Lima fasulye
Soybean	Soya fasulyesi
Chicken	Tavuk
Beef	Biftek
Meat	Et
Minced meat	Kıyma
Almond milk	Badem sütü
Soy milk	Soya sütü
Oat milk	Yulaf sütü
Rice milk	Pirinç sütü
Cashew milk	Kaju sütü
Yogurt	Yoğurt
Garlic yogurt	Sarımsaklı yogurt
Tomato paste	Domates salçası
Pepper paste	Biber salçası

If you want to learn more Turkish vocabulary, why don’t you use Ling? It is a language-learning app that teaches 60+ languages, like the Turkish language and many more, making hard languages easy to learn!

Final Words

In conclusion, this blog post is your go-to guide for diving into cooking terms in Turkish without feeling lost in translation. It lays out all the essential terms, kitchen tools, and ingredients you need to whip up some authentic Turkish flavors right in your own kitchen. Whether you’re craving a juicy köfte or a comforting bowl of lentil soup (mercimek çorbası), this post has got you covered with practical tips and straightforward explanations. So, roll up your sleeves and get ready to spice up your culinary repertoire with a taste of Turkey!

Since you have read this blog post, you may also be interested in learning Turkish food vocabulary. So, go ahead and check it out!