What it means
خمیر (khamir) means dough, the uncooked mixture of flour, water, and sometimes yeast or salt that is shaped and baked into bread or pastry. The word entered Persian from Arabic, where khamara relates to fermentation and leavening. You will also hear خمیر (khamir) used loosely for any soft, pliable mass, such as clay or putty. A close related term is خمیر مایه (khamir-maye), meaning yeast or starter.
How to use it
- خمیر را ورز بده تا نرم بشه. (Khamir ro varz bede ta narm beshe.) “Knead the dough until it gets soft.”
- خمیر نون تو یخچاله. (Khamir-e noon to yakhchale.) “The bread dough is in the fridge.”
- این خمیر خیلی شله، آرد بیشتر بریز. (In khamir kheyli shale, ard bishtar beriz.) “This dough is too runny, add more flour.”
- خمیر پیتزا رو آماده کردم. (Khamir-e pizza ro amadeh kardam.) “I prepared the pizza dough.”
Cultural note
Bread is the centerpiece of every Iranian meal, and the daily rhythm of households once revolved around preparing خمیر (khamir) before dawn. Traditional flatbreads such as sangak and barbari each require a distinct style of dough, and the specialist who prepares it in a bakery is called a خمیرگیر (khamir-gir). In Iranian folk speech, calling something خمیر (khamir) can describe anything soft and unfinished, a personality not yet shaped, or a texture that has not set.