چاشنی
چاشنی (châshni) means seasoning or condiment in Persian, covering everything from table salt and dried spices to sauces and pickles. A pure Persian word built from the verb chashidan, to taste.
Glossary
خوراک
خوراک (khorâk) is a pure Persian word meaning a prepared dish (typically without rice) or foodstuff in general. It is the everyday term for meat or vegetable stews served as a main course.
وعده غذایی
وعده غذایی (va’de-ye ghazâyi) is the formal Persian term for a meal, meaning one eating occasion such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Both root words come from Arabic, making this a fully Arabic-origin compound.
بسته بندی
بسته بندی (baste-bandi) means packaging in general and, at a restaurant, the act of boxing up leftovers to take home. It is a pure Persian compound used across both formal and everyday contexts.
بیرون بر
بیرون بر (birun-bar) means takeaway or takeout food in everyday Persian. A colloquial compound built from birun (outside) and bar (carry), it is the standard phrase at any Iranian fast-food counter or pizzeria.
سفارش دادن
سفارش دادن (sefâresh dâdan) means to order food or place an order. It pairs the pure Persian verb dâdan (to give) with sefâresh, itself derived from the Persian root sepârdan (to entrust), making this a fully Persian-rooted compound verb.
پیشخدمت
پیشخدمت (pishkhedmat) means waiter or server in formal Persian. It combines the native Persian prefix pish with the Arabic-origin word khedmat (service), and is more formal than the commonly heard gârson.
دسر
دسر (deser) is borrowed from French “dessert” and means the sweet course served at the end of a meal. It is used across Iran in restaurants, homes, and cafes with no native Persian alternative in common use.
پیش غذا
پیش غذا (pish-ghazâ) means appetizer or starter. It combines the pure Persian prefix pish (before) with the Arabic-origin word ghaza (food), making it a mixed-origin compound used in restaurants and homes alike.
منو
منو (menu) is a direct borrowing from French into Persian, meaning the menu at a restaurant. It is used exactly like its French source and is understood at every level of formality in Iran.