Cooking & Markets

1. Bu yemeği nasıl pişiriyorsunuz?

   How do you cook this dish?

   Usage

   Asking how a dish is prepared

   Grammar Note

   "pişirmek" means "to cook". "-iyor-sunuz" = present progressive + polite 2nd person plural.

2. Malzemeler neler?

   What are the ingredients?

   Usage

   Asking about the ingredients of a recipe

   Grammar Note

   "neler" is the plural form of "ne" (what). Used instead of "nedir" when asking about multiple things.

3. Kaç dakika pişirmem gerekiyor?

   How many minutes do I need to cook it?

   Usage

   Asking how long to cook something

   Grammar Note

   "pişirmem gerekiyor" = nominalized verb + possessive + gerekmek. "kaç dakika" asks "how many minutes".

4. Tuz ve biber ekleyebilir misiniz?

   Can you add salt and pepper?

   Usage

   Requesting addition of seasoning while cooking

   Grammar Note

   "ekleyebilir misiniz" = "ekle" (add) + "yebil" (ability) + "ir misiniz" (polite question, 2nd plural).

5. Bu tarifi öğrenebilir miyim?

   Can I learn this recipe?

   Usage

   Asking to be taught a recipe

   Grammar Note

   "öğrenebilir miyim" = "öğren" (learn) + "ebil" (ability) + "ir miyim" (question, 1st person).

6. Soğan doğramak zor.

   Chopping onions is hard.

   Usage

   Expressing that a cooking task is difficult

   Grammar Note

   The infinitive "doğramak" functions as subject. "infinitive + adjective predicate" is a common Turkish sentence structure.

7. Fırın kaç derecede?

   At what temperature is the oven?

   Usage

   Asking about oven temperature

   Grammar Note

   "derecede" = "derece" (degree) + locative "-de" (at). Used for temperature and angle expressions.

8. Bu baharat ne?

   What is this spice?

   Usage

   Asking about an unfamiliar spice or seasoning

   Grammar Note

   "baharat" is from Arabic, a collective noun for spices (same for singular and plural). "ne" alone forms the question.

9. Daha az yağ kullanabilir misiniz?

   Can you use less oil?

   Usage

   Requesting reduced oil in cooking

   Grammar Note

   "daha az" means "less/fewer" — a fixed comparative expression used frequently in requests.

10. Yemeğin tadı harika!

    The food tastes amazing!

    Usage

    Complimenting the taste of a dish

    Grammar Note

    "yemeğin tadı" = "yemek" (food) genitive + "tat" (taste) possessive. "harika" is an Arabic loanword meaning "wonderful".

11. Tofu

    Usage

    Point to this to ask for tofu; it is not part of Turkish cuisine but is sold in health-food shops and vegetarian restaurants in big cities

12. Çorba

    Soup

    Usage

    Point to this to order soup; the standard is lentil soup, "mercimek çorbası"

13. Meyve

    Fruit

    Usage

    The general word for fruit, e.g. asking for fruit as dessert; individual fruit names are in the "fruits" category

14. Sarımsak

    Garlic

    Usage

    Point to this to ask for garlic to be added or left out; "sarımsaksız" = without garlic

15. Soğan

    Onion

    Usage

    Point to this to ask for onion to be added or left out; spring onion is "yeşil soğan"

16. Acı biber

    Chili pepper

    Usage

    Use when adjusting heat; the flakes on Turkish tables are "pul biber", and black pepper is "karabiber"

17. Kişniş

    Coriander, cilantro

    Usage

    Point to this to ask about coriander; the fresh leaf is "taze kişniş" and the bare word usually means the seed. Turkish cooking mostly uses "maydanoz" (parsley) instead

18. Zencefil

    Ginger

    Usage

    Point to this to ask for ginger; commonly found at spice shops and on the herbal-tea shelf

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