Food and drink in Turkish
186 words in Turkish on the topic “food and drink”: kahve — coffee, çay — tea, su — water, ekmek — bread. 186 words can be played from recordings.
186 words on the topic
- kahvecoffeeThrough Turkish kahve both "coffee" and "café" reached the languages of Europe. The word itself comes from Arabic qahwa.
- çayteaDrunk from a tulip-shaped glass and offered everywhere, shops included.
- suwaterOne of the shortest words in Turkish and one of the few irregulars: "my water" is suyum.
- ekmekbreadSpelled and sounded exactly like the verb ekmek, "to sow". The collision is an accident — but the month ekim (October, sowing time) really does come from that verb.
- peynircheeseThe white brined cheese will be on the breakfast table without fail.
- balıkfishı dotless. The root of balıkçı — both "fisherman" and "fish shop": the tail -çı turns a thing into the person busy with it.
- salatasaladAn Italian loanword. The plain chopped-vegetable kind is çoban salatası — "shepherd's salad": tomato, cucumber, onion.
- çorbasoupLentil mercimek çorbası is served everywhere and at any hour.
- tuzsaltThe root of tuzlu ("salty") — the tail -lu "with something" — and tuzsuz ("salt-free") — the tail -suz "without". The -lı/-sız pair works across the whole language.
- meyvefruitSingular in form: meyve means both "a fruit" and "fruit in general". It came from Persian.
- elmaappleThe root of elma çayı — apple tea, pressed on tourists everywhere.
- portakalorangeFrom the name of Portugal: Portuguese merchants brought sweet oranges to the Mediterranean.
- domatestomatoA Greek word with the final s already baked in: one piece is bir domates — there is no "domate".
- lezzetlitastylezzet is "taste", -li is "with". Literally "with taste".
- yemekto eatThe same word, unchanged, works as the noun "food, dish": yemek yemek is "to eat food", and that is not a typo.
- içmekto drinkTurkish "drinks" a cigarette too: sigara içmek is to smoke. Soup is often "drunk" as well — çorba içmek, though çorba yemek is also said.
- tazefreshAt the market they shout taze taze! — repeating the word boosts it, a very Turkish trick.
- olgunripeA ripe fruit and a mature person: olgun bir insan is "a sensible person".
- aşçıcookş is "sh", ç is "ch", ı dotless: ash-CHUH
- kahvaltıbreakfastdotless ı at the end: kah-val-TUH
- öğle yemeğilunchğ is silent and stretches the vowel: oy-LE ye-me-I
- akşam yemeğidinnerLiterally "the food of the evening": akşam ("evening") plus yemek with the tail -i, which turns k into ğ.
- çiğnemekto chewç like "ch", ğ silent stretching the i: chi-ne-MEK
- yutmakto swallowy plus u give "yu", stress at the end: yut-MAK
- iştahappetiteş is "sh", final h is breathed out: ish-TAH
- parçapieceç like "ch": par-CHA
- kokusmellAny smell — bread, rain, perfume; good perfume is simply güzel koku, "a nice smell". The verb of the same root is kokmak, "to smell".
- yağoilyağ — ğ is silent, it stretches the a: YAA
- patatespotatolooks plural, is singular: 'bir patates' is one potato. Fries are 'patates kızartması'
- unfloura two-letter word. Don't confuse it with 'on', ten: one vowel changes everything
- balhoneynative Turkic. 'Ballı' means with honey and lucky alike. 'Bal gibi' — 'like honey' — means for sure
- kuruyemişnutskuruyemiş — ş is "sh": kuu-RU-ye-mish
- soğanonionsoğan — ğ is silent, it stretches the o: so-AAN
- havuçcarrothavuç — ç is "ch": ha-VOOCH
- biberpepperboth the spice and the vegetable. Hot is 'acı biber', the stuffing kind 'dolmalık biber'
- fasulyebeansfrom Greek. 'Kuru fasulye' with rice is the country's cheap staple dish
- baharatspicesan Arabic plural of bahar "spice", but in Turkish it is an ordinary noun with its own plural: baharatlar
- yemek pişirmekto cookpişmek is 'to get done'; the -ir- insert upgrades 'it happens by itself' into 'I make it happen': pişirmek
- yıkamakto washyıkamak — ı is dotless, like the a in "sofa": yuh-ka-MAK
- bıçakknifebıçak — dotless ı, and ç like "ch": buh-CHAK
- haşlamakto boilhaşlamak — ş is "sh": hash-la-MAK
- kızartmakto frykızartmak — ı dotless: kuh-zart-MAK
- fırında pişirmekto bakefırında — both ı dotless: fuh-run-DA
- kesmekto cutto cut and to cut off — and also to shut off: 'suyu kestiler' means the water was cut
- tencerepot'Tencere yuvarlanmış, kapağını bulmuş' — 'the pot rolled and found its lid': said, often wryly, of two who deserve each other
- tavafrying panfrom Persian. Pan-cooked dishes keep the name: 'karides tava' is shrimp in the pan
- ocakstovethe stove, the hearth and — capitalized — January, Ocak. Not a coincidence: January was the month of the fire
- fincancupfincan — c sounds like English "j": fin-JAN
- bardakglassthe tulip-shaped tea glass is "ince belli bardak" — "with a thin waist"
- kaşıkspoonkaşık — ş is "sh", ı dotless: ka-SHUHK
- çatalforkçatal — ç is "ch": cha-TAL
- şişebottleşişe — both ş are "sh": shi-SHE
- buzdolabıfridgebuz 'ice' plus dolap plus a linker: 'ice cupboard'. The final p voices to b before a vowel
- peçetenapkinpeçete — ç is "ch": pe-che-TE
- çaydanlıkkettleçaydanlık — ç is "ch", ı dotless: chai-dan-LUHK
- tepsitraya tray — and 'tepsi böreği' is a pie baked right on one: a homemade classic
- kaynarboiling hotkaynamak is "to boil", so kaynar is boil-hot. Merely warm is ılık; hot weather is sıcak
- buz gibiicy coldbuz 'ice' plus gibi 'like': 'ice-like'. Plain cold is soğuk; buz gibi is stronger — icy
- açhungryaç — ç is "ch": ACH
- tuzlusaltytuz plus -lu "with salt". A "tuzlu fiyat" is a price that bites
- ekşisourekşi — ş is "sh": ek-SHI
- acıbitteracı — c sounds like English "j", ı dotless: a-JUH
- acılıspicythe same acı plus -lı "with". On a menu acılı means with pepper, acısız without
- tokfull upthe partner of aç. "Tok karnına" means on a full stomach
- tatmakto tastesame root as tat. Liveliest as 'tadına bakmak' — 'to look at its taste'
- menümenumenü — round your lips for ü: me-NUU
- garsonwaiterFrench garçon. You flag one with 'garson bey' or a raised hand; whistling is out
- siparişordersipariş — ş is "sh": si-pa-RISH
- sipariş vermekto place an orderliterally 'to give an order' — noun plus vermek, as in söz vermek. Taking an order is 'sipariş almak'
- ana yemekmain courseana means "main" (and also "mother"). The menu order is fixed: çorba, ara sıcak, ana yemek, tatlı.
- porsiyonportionfrom French. Ask for half like this: 'yarım porsiyon' — accepted everywhere
- iki kişilik masatable for twokişi 'person' plus -lik 'for so many': a table for two persons. Same suffix as in bir gecelik
- tatlıdesserttatlı — ı dotless: tat-LUH
- Etsiz olsunno meatet plus -siz "without", the partner of -li. olsun is "let it be". A vegetarian is a vejetaryen
- bahşiştipbahşiş — both ş are "sh": bah-SHISH
- pastacakeA false friend: it means a cake or pastry, not noodles. Pasta in Turkish is makarna, and a pastry shop is a pastane.
- makarnapastaFrom Italian maccherone. In Turkish the word stays singular: "makarna yaptım" — I cooked pasta. Homemade noodles go by another name, erişte
- yoğurtyogurtyoğurt — yoo-OORT
- kremacreamFrom Italian crema. It means thick or whipped cream for cakes and coffee. kaymak is something else: thick clotted cream, eaten with honey.
- dondurmaice creamdondurmak "to freeze" plus -ma makes a noun: "the frozen thing." The stretchy ice cream from Kahramanmaraş is called Maraş dondurması, and it is cut with a knife.
- çikolatachocolateçikolata — chi-ko-LA-ta
- bisküvicookiesbisküvi — bis-kuu-VI
- dana etibeefdana "calf" + et "meat," with the linking -i on the second word. Meat from a grown cow is sığır eti, but butchers almost always label it dana.
- kuzu etilambkuzu means "lamb"; meat from a grown sheep, koyun eti, is tougher and stronger-smelling, so at the butcher people ask for kuzu. "Kuzum," "my lamb," is a tender way to address someone, like "sweetie."
- karidesshrimpold Turkic. "Karides güveç" — shrimp casserole — is the Aegean coast's gift to tables
- üzümgrapesüzüm — uu-ZUUM
- salatalıkcucumbersalatalık — sa-LA-ta-luhk
- lahanacabbageFrom Greek lachanon. Red cabbage is kırmızı lahana, Brussels sprouts are Brüksel lahanası. On the Black Sea coast it goes into soup and is used to wrap dolma.
- sarımsakgarlicsarımsak — sa-ruhm-SAK
- balkabağıpumpkinbalkabağı — bal-ka-baa-UH
- patlıcaneggplantpatlıcan — pat-luh-JAN
- limonlemonA Persian word that came via Arabic. Lemon juice, limon suyu, goes on almost everything: fish, lentil soup, köfte. A lime is misket limonu.
- karpuzwatermelonFrom Persian. The melon is kavun, and the two lie side by side on the stall: mixing them up costs you. In summer watermelon is eaten with salty white cheese.
- çilekstrawberryçilek — chi-LEK
- armutpearFrom Persian. Before a vowel ending the final t turns to d: armut, but armudu, the same change as kitap → kitabı. The classic tea glass is pear-shaped and is called ince belli bardak, "thin-waisted glass."
- şeftalipeachşeftali — shef-ta-LI
- yemek tarifirecipetarif is Arabic for "description"; tarife, "timetable, tariff," comes from the same root. A doctor's prescription is a different word, reçete. tarif is also used for giving directions: yol tarifi.
- sebzeleri soymakto peel the vegetablessoymak means "to strip the skin off": a potato, an orange, and sadly a person too, since "banka soymak" means to rob a bank. Cleaning with a brush is something else, temizlemek.
- kaynatmakto bring to the boilkaynamak is 'to boil', kaynatmak adds the -t- that MAKES it boil. Milk, water and tempers included
- karıştırmakto stirkarıştırmak — ş "sh", dotless ı twice: ka-ruhsh-tur-MAK
- ısıtmakto heat upısıtmak — uh-suht-MAK
- soğutmakto coolsoğutmak — soo-oot-MAK
- yumurta çırpmakto beat the eggsyumurta çırpmak — yoo-moor-TA chuhrp-MAK
- ızgarada pişirmekto grillızgarada pişirmek — uhz-ga-ra-DA pi-shir-MEK
- son kullanma tarihiexpiration dateLiterally "date of last use": kullanmak "to use," with -ma making a noun. Packages abbreviate it as SKT; the production date is üretim tarihi.
- bozulmakto go badbozmak means "to spoil, break"; bozulmak "to go bad, break down" by itself. One word for all of it: milk turning, a machine breaking, a mood souring ("moralim bozuldu"). The neighboring word tells you which.
- kavanozjarFrom Greek. It is a glass jar with a lid, for jam and pickles. A tin can of preserves is konserve kutusu, and a soda can is just kutu.
- ilavesecondsArabic for "addition." In a cafe it is how you ask for more: bir ilave porsiyon, "an extra portion." It is also a surcharge on a bill and a newspaper supplement; the verb is ilave etmek.
- paket olsunto take awayLiterally "let it be a package." It is the answer to "Burada mı, paket mi?," "for here or to go?" Home delivery is called paket servis.
- şekersizsugar-freeşekersiz — she-ker-SIZ
- ben vejetaryenimI'm a vegetarianben vejetaryenim — ben ve-zhe-tar-YE-nim
- afiyet olsunenjoy your mealafiyet is Arabic for "good health": "may it be to your health." It is said before and after a meal, and also in reply to thanks for the food. To the cook you say "Elinize sağlık."
- yağlı yemekfatty foodğ not sounded, stretches the vowel: ya-LI ye-MEK
- şekercandyş like "sh": şe-KER
- millî yemeknational dishthe î stretches: mil-li-İ ye-MEK
- sokak yemeğistreet foodğ is not sounded: so-KAK ye-me-İ
- domuz etiporkA link: et takes the tail -i — "pig's meat". The animal itself is domuz.
- tavuk etichicken (meat)The bird and the meat are both tavuk; to separate them people say the link tavuk eti.
- ördek etiduck (meat)The bird is ördek; on the table it becomes the link ördek eti.
- kıymaminced meatFrom kıymak, "to chop": literally "chopped". At the counter people ask for yağsız kıyma — the lean kind.
- jambonhamFrench jambon; it refuses to play the harmony game. In a Turkish shop it is more often turkey — hindi jambonu.
- sosisfrankfurterA thin wiener is sosis; the fat spicy kind is sucuk. Eggs fried with it are sosisli yumurta.
- ton balığıtunaA link with voicing: balık becomes balığı. A can of tuna is ton balığı konservesi.
- somonsalmonA loanword, no harmony. Smoked is füme somon, and on menus it goes without the word balık.
- teke karidesiprawnThe collective word is karides; the large by-the-piece kind at the fish market is teke karidesi — a link with the tail -si.
- deniz ürünleriseafoodA link in the plural: ürün becomes ürünleri, "the products of the sea". This is exactly what the fish restaurant's sign says.
- erikplumThe final k softens: erik becomes eriği. The sour green can eriği is eaten with salt in spring.
- ahududuraspberryBuilt from ahu, "deer," and dut, "mulberry," with a possessive ending: "the deer's mulberry." Since that ending is already there, the word is used as is: ahududu reçeli, raspberry jam.
- kavunmelonkavun is the melon, karpuz the watermelon — two distinct words, no room for confusion.
- narpomegranateThe sour pomegranate sauce is nar ekşisi, a link; the shade of red is nar çiçeği.
- ananaspineappleA loanword: three identical a's in a row neither break harmony nor come from it.
- mandalinatangerineFrom Italian. Nearby stands mandal — a clothespin: only the beginning is shared.
- kivikiwi (fruit)Both the fruit and the bird — English keeps the same double meaning. Homegrown kiwis grow on the Black Sea coast, in Rize and Ordu.
- avokadoavocadoIt takes Turkish case endings as its own: avokadoyu, avokadoya.
- kuru üzümraisinLiterally "dry grape": the modifier stands in front, no link. On their own, kuru is "dry" and üzüm is "grape".
- incirfigFresh is taze incir, dried is kuru incir. The country's fig capital is Aydın.
- dolmalık biberbell pepperbiber is both the spice and the vegetable. At the stall the vegetable is told apart by its badge: dolmalık means "for stuffing", sivri means "hot".
- kabakzucchiniBoth zucchini and pumpkin; the pumpkin gets its own label — bal kabağı. The final k softens: kabak becomes kabağı.
- pancarbeetTable beet is kırmızı pancar, sugar beet is şeker pancarı — already a link.
- turpradishSmall pink is kırmızı turp, big white is beyaz turp. Turp gibi means "sturdy as a radish" — said of robust people.
- yeşillikgreensFrom yeşil, "green": all things green at once — the bunch for the table and the green corner in the yard.
- dereotudillA fused link: dere ("stream") + ot ("grass") + the tail -u. Written as one word.
- maydanozparsleyA Greek word. Her yemekte maydanoz olmak means "to be the eternal extra" — literally "to be parsley at every meal".
- zencefilgingerAn Arabic word. Tea with it is zencefilli çay, ground powder is toz zencefil.
- mısırcornThe same word as Egypt — Mısır with a capital. A boiled cob on the embankment is haşlanmış mısır.
- ıspanakspinachStarts with a back-row ı, and the tails follow it: ıspanağı, ıspanakla; the k softens into ğ.
- çöreksweet bunA soft bun to have with tea; the salty flaky kind is poğaça. The final k softens: çörek becomes çöreği.
- böreksavory pieThe layered stuffed pie — the main Turkish "pie"; the sweet fruity kind is turta. The k softens: böreği.
- keksmall cakeThe English word cake: a small sweet slice with tea. A whole cream torte is pasta — and pasta is not pasta, pasta is makarna.
- donutdonutA borrowing without harmony, spelled the English way. The Turkish relative is lokma — balls of dough in syrup.
- hamur işipastryA link: "dough's business" — all baked things at once, from börek to buns. A general label, not a single item.
- reçeljamCooked with the fruit left whole. The kind goes in a link: vişne reçeli, "sour-cherry jam", gül reçeli, "rose jam".
- şurupsyrupBoth the kitchen syrup and the medicine in the bottle — one word. Baklava's sweet soak has its own name, şerbet.
- patlamış mısırpopcornLiterally "burst corn": a participle stands in front as a modifier, no link.
- cipschipsFrom English chips, but Turkish treats it as singular: bir paket cips.
- sakızchewing gumThe same word as the mastic of Chios. To chew gum is sakız çiğnemek.
- limonatalemonadeThe homemade still lemon drink. The sweet fizzy stuff in a bottle is gazoz — a different thing.
- maden suyumineral waterA link with a linking y: su becomes suyu. maden means "mine" as in ore: water from underground.
- gazlı susparkling waterModifier in front, no link: "with-gas water". At the shop the same bottle is asked for more briefly — soda.
- kokteylcocktailThe English word, written by ear. The fruity non-alcoholic one is meyve kokteyli, a link.
- kakaococoaTwo vowels in a row betray the borrowing. The powder is kakao tozu, the drink is sıcak kakao.
- hazır kahveinstant coffeeLiterally "ready coffee", modifier in front. By brand people call it neskafe; the kind brewed in a cezve is Türk kahvesi.
- poşet çaytea bagpoşet is "bag"; here it stands as a modifier and takes no tail. Tea brewed in a pot is demlik çayı.
- kaynar suboiling waterkaynar is "boiling" — also "hot"; the water itself is kaynıyor, "is boiling".
- alkolalcoholArabic via French. Alkolsüz is "non-alcoholic", alkollü içecek is "a drink with alcohol".
- içecekdrinkFrom içmek, "to drink": the suffix -ecek makes the noun of a thing, "that which is drunk". Built the same way as yiyecek, "food".
- meyve suyujuiceA link with a linking y between the vowels: su becomes suyu. A specific juice is named by the fruit — portakal suyu — and meyve drops out.
- restoranrestaurantThere is also lokanta — a canteen with ready food on display — and kafe. A restaurant is a step above: a tablecloth, a menu and a bill.
- sütmilkIt gives sütlü, "with milk": sütlü olsun — "make it with milk". On its own you need it in the shop.
- ince belli bardaktulip glassLiterally "glass with a slim waist". Classic tea is drunk from this glass, not from a mug.
- semaversamovarThe word came from Russian along with the thing itself.
- tavşan kanıstrong tea ("rabbit blood")You can order exactly this way: tavşan kanı olsun — "make it strong".
- Türk kahvesiTurkish coffeeThe foam on top is a must: coffee without it is considered spoiled.
- serpme kahvaltıspread breakfastserpmek is "to scatter": the name is about how everything is laid out at once.
- menemenmenemen (egg dish)Distinct from sahanda yumurta, plain fried eggs: here the egg is stirred into the vegetables.
- simitsimitThe grape molasses gives the color and a hint of sweetness, the sesame gives all the smell.
- lokumlokumThe English "Turkish delight" is not a translation but a name of its own. With pistachio it is fıstıklı lokum, with rose güllü lokum.
- mezemezethe waiter brings a tray of little plates and you choose with your eyes
- rakırakıthe glass is tall and narrow, with a glass of water beside it and ice served separately
- balık ekmekfish sandwichliterally 'fish bread' — with no preposition at all, as in many Turkish pairs
- baklavabaklavasyrup is poured over the hot pastry, which keeps the top crisp
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How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
kahve — coffee. Through Turkish kahve both "coffee" and "café" reached the languages of Europe. The word itself comes from Arabic qahwa.
çay — tea. Drunk from a tulip-shaped glass and offered everywhere, shops included.
su — water. One of the shortest words in Turkish and one of the few irregulars: "my water" is suyum.
ekmek — bread. Spelled and sounded exactly like the verb ekmek, "to sow". The collision is an accident — but the month ekim (October, sowing time) really does come from that verb.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is kahve — coffee.
- What is this word?
It is salata — salad.
- What is this word?
It is lezzetli — tasty.
- What is this word?
It is öğle yemeği — lunch.
- What is this word?
It is yağ — oil.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “coffee” in Turkish?
Through Turkish kahve both "coffee" and "café" reached the languages of Europe. The word itself comes from Arabic qahwa.
- How do you say “salad” in Turkish?
An Italian loanword. The plain chopped-vegetable kind is çoban salatası — "shepherd's salad": tomato, cucumber, onion.
- How do you say “tasty” in Turkish?
lezzet is "taste", -li is "with". Literally "with taste".
- How do you say “lunch” in Turkish?
No separate word — "the food of noon": öğle ("noon") plus yemek with the tail -i, which turns k into ğ.
- How do you say “oil” in Turkish?
any oil and fat at once. Butter is tereyağı, olive oil zeytinyağı: the kind rides at the end
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
A menu, a market, a shop sign, the question “what is this?”. Food is the most frequent subject of the first weeks and the safest excuse to start talking.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- Study spread over days wins not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “coffee” in Turkish?
«kahve». Through Turkish kahve both "coffee" and "café" reached the languages of Europe. The word itself comes from Arabic qahwa. It is one of 186 words in the set “food and drink” — the rest are in the table above.
How many food words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 186 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 186 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.