ਖਾਣ-ਪੀਣ ਦੇ ਸ਼ਬਦ

Punjabi food words are a map of the Punjabi kitchen. Wheat, rice and dairy are the staples of Punjab, and the vocabulary follows them: breads from the tandoor and the griddle, lentils and greens for the daily pot, buttermilk and lassi from the churn, and a shelf of sweets built on ghee, jaggery and milk. Every word below links to its own full page in the Kosh, with example sentences and the story of the dish.

Breads and the stove

<a href="/kosh/words/roti/">ਰੋਟੀ (roti)</a> - the flatbread on the plate at every meal

<a href="/kosh/words/paratha/">ਪਰਾਂਠਾ (paratha)</a> - layered flatbread, plain or stuffed, shallow-fried in ghee

<a href="/kosh/words/kulcha/">ਕੁਲਚਾ (kulcha)</a> - leavened stuffed flatbread baked in the tandoor, famous in Amritsar

<a href="/kosh/words/bhatura/">ਭਟੂਰਾ (bhatura)</a> - deep fried leavened bread that puffs up, served with chole

<a href="/kosh/words/makki-di-roti/">ਮੱਕੀ ਦੀ ਰੋਟੀ (makki di roti)</a> - maize flatbread, the winter partner of sarson da saag

<a href="/kosh/words/tandoor/">ਤੰਦੂਰ (tandoor)</a> - the clay oven for breads and roasts

<a href="/kosh/words/chulha/">ਚੁੱਲ੍ਹਾ (chulha)</a> - the traditional wood-fired clay stove

The daily pot

<a href="/kosh/words/dal/">ਦਾਲ (dal)</a> - simmered lentils, the daily staple dish

<a href="/kosh/words/sabzi/">ਸਬਜ਼ੀ (sabzi)</a> - a cooked vegetable dish, the daily curry

<a href="/kosh/words/sarson-da-saag/">ਸਰਸੋਂ ਦਾ ਸਾਗ (sarson da saag)</a> - slow-cooked mustard greens, Punjab's winter dish

<a href="/kosh/words/achar/">ਅਚਾਰ (achar)</a> - pickle preserved in oil and spices

Dairy and drinks

<a href="/kosh/words/dahi/">ਦਹੀਂ (dahi)</a> - curd, set fermented milk, made fresh in Punjabi homes

<a href="/kosh/words/chaas/">ਛਾਛ (chaas)</a> - thin spiced buttermilk, drunk daily

<a href="/kosh/words/lassi/">ਲੱਸੀ (lassi)</a> - thick churned-yoghurt drink, sweet or salted

<a href="/kosh/words/chah/">ਚਾਹ (chah)</a> - tea

<a href="/kosh/words/ghee/">ਘਿਓ (ghee)</a> - clarified butter, the Punjabi cooking fat

Sweets and snacks

<a href="/kosh/words/gur/">ਗੁੜ (gur)</a> - jaggery, the solid sweet made from boiled sugarcane juice

<a href="/kosh/words/choori/">ਚੂਰੀ (choori)</a> - crumbled roti mixed with ghee and sugar or gur

<a href="/kosh/words/panjiri/">ਪੰਜੀਰੀ (panjiri)</a> - roasted-flour sweet with nuts and gond, winter nourishment

<a href="/kosh/words/pinni/">ਪਿੰਨੀ (pinni)</a> - wheat, ghee and jaggery sweet balls, a winter food

<a href="/kosh/words/jalebi/">ਜਲੇਬੀ (jalebi)</a> - crisp syrup-soaked sweet coils

<a href="/kosh/words/kheer/">ਖੀਰ (kheer)</a> - slow-cooked milk and rice dessert

<a href="/kosh/words/murabba/">ਮੁਰੱਬਾ (murabba)</a> - fruit preserved in sugar syrup

<a href="/kosh/words/samosa/">ਸਮੋਸਾ (samosa)</a> - fried pastry with a spiced filling

<a href="/kosh/words/pakora/">ਪਕੌੜਾ (pakora)</a> - chickpea-batter fritters, fried crisp, the rainy-day snack

Food that serves everyone

<a href="/kosh/words/langar/">ਲੰਗਰ (langar)</a> - the free community kitchen meal served at the gurdwara to all who come

How to use these words

Food words are best learned at the table. When a dish arrives, name it in Punjabi before you eat: ਅੱਜ ਦਾਲ ਬਣੀ ਹੈ (ajj dal bani hai), today dal has been made. Ask for more with the word itself, ਹੋਰ ਰੋਟੀ ਲਿਆਓ (hor roti liaao), bring another roti. Two or three meals of this and the core list is yours.

Notice the pairs the kitchen keeps: ਮੱਕੀ ਦੀ ਰੋਟੀ (makki di roti) is almost never said without ਸਰਸੋਂ ਦਾ ਸਾਗ (sarson da saag), and ਲੱਸੀ (lassi) belongs with a heavy lunch on a hot day. The full Kosh page for each word explains the dish, its season and its place at the table.

What is the Punjabi word for food?

Food in Punjabi is ਖਾਣਾ (khaana), which also means to eat. A meal is often just called roti, after the bread at its centre, as in ਰੋਟੀ ਖਾਧੀ? (roti khaadhi?), have you eaten?

What are famous Punjabi food words?

The best-known Punjabi food words are ਰੋਟੀ (roti), ਪਰਾਂਠਾ (paratha), ਦਾਲ (dal), ਲੱਸੀ (lassi), ਸਰਸੋਂ ਦਾ ਸਾਗ (sarson da saag) with ਮੱਕੀ ਦੀ ਰੋਟੀ (makki di roti), ਜਲੇਬੀ (jalebi) and ਤੰਦੂਰ (tandoor), the clay oven.

What is lassi called in Punjabi?

Lassi is ਲੱਸੀ (lassi) in Punjabi too: a thick drink churned from curd, made sweet or salted. Its thinner cousin is ਛਾਛ (chaas), spiced buttermilk drunk daily in Punjabi homes.