Welsh cuisine is a delightful blend of traditional and modern flavors, reflecting the rich cultural heritage of Wales. If you’re a food enthusiast or a language learner looking to expand your culinary vocabulary, understanding Welsh words and phrases related to cooking and recipes can be both fun and rewarding. In this article, we’ll explore essential Welsh culinary terms, common phrases used in cooking, and some traditional recipes that you can try at home.
Basic Welsh Cooking Vocabulary
To start with, let’s cover some fundamental Welsh words that you’ll frequently encounter in recipes and cooking instructions:
– **Ingredients**: In Welsh, ingredients are called cynhwysion.
– **Recipe**: The word for recipe in Welsh is rhyseit.
– **Cook**: The verb to cook is coginio, and a cook is called cogydd.
– **Kitchen**: The kitchen is referred to as cegin.
– **Oven**: The word for oven is ffenestr.
– **Stove**: A stove is called stôf.
– **Pan**: The word for pan is padell.
– **Pot**: A pot is known as pot.
– **Bowl**: The word for bowl is powlen.
– **Spoon**: A spoon is called llwy.
– **Fork**: A fork is known as fforc.
– **Knife**: The word for knife is cyllell.
– **Plate**: A plate is referred to as plât.
– **Glass**: The word for glass is gwydr.
Common Cooking Actions
Understanding the basic actions involved in cooking is essential for following a recipe. Here are some key Welsh verbs and phrases related to cooking actions:
– **To boil**: berwi
– **To fry**: ffrio
– **To bake**: pobi
– **To roast**: rhostio
– **To grill**: grilio
– **To chop**: torri
– **To stir**: cymysgu
– **To mix**: cymysgu
– **To pour**: tywallt
– **To season**: seilio
– **To taste**: blasu
– **To serve**: gweini
Common Welsh Phrases in Cooking
When following a Welsh recipe, you might come across several common phrases that describe cooking techniques or instructions. Here are some examples:
– **Preheat the oven to 180 degrees**: Rhowch y ffwrn ymlaen i 180 gradd.
– **Add the ingredients to the bowl**: Ychwanegwch y cynhwysion i’r bowlen.
– **Mix well until combined**: Cymysgwch yn dda nes bod popeth wedi’i gyfuno.
– **Cook for 20 minutes**: Coginiwch am 20 munud.
– **Let it cool**: Gadewch iddo oeri.
– **Serve with a side of vegetables**: Gweiniwch gyda llysiau ochr.
Traditional Welsh Recipes
Now that you have a grasp of some essential Welsh culinary vocabulary and phrases, let’s delve into a few traditional Welsh recipes. These dishes are not only delicious but also provide a wonderful way to practice your new vocabulary.
1. Welsh Rarebit (Caws Pobi)
Welsh Rarebit is a classic Welsh dish that’s simple yet incredibly flavorful. It’s essentially a savory cheese sauce served over toasted bread. Here’s how to make it:
Ingredients:
– 200g of strong cheddar cheese (caws Cheddar cryf)
– 2 tablespoons of butter (menyn)
– 2 tablespoons of plain flour (blawd plaen)
– 150ml of milk (llaeth)
– 1 teaspoon of mustard (mwstard)
– 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (saws Worcestershire)
– Salt and pepper to taste (halen a phupur i flasu)
– 4 slices of bread (tost)
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (Rhowch y ffwrn ymlaen i 200 gradd Celsius).
2. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat (Toddwch y menyn mewn padell dros wres canolig).
3. Add the flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes (Ychwanegwch y blawd a chymysgwch yn barhaus am 2 funud).
4. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens (Ychwanegwch y llaeth yn raddol, gan gymysgu’n barhaus nes bod y saws yn tewychu).
5. Add the cheese, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce, and mix until the cheese has melted (Ychwanegwch y caws, mwstard, a saws Worcestershire, a chymysgwch nes bod y caws wedi toddi).
6. Season with salt and pepper (Sesnwch gyda halen a phupur).
7. Toast the bread slices and pour the cheese sauce over them (Tostiwch y tafellau bara a thywalltwch y saws caws drostynt).
8. Place the slices under the grill for a few minutes until the top is golden and bubbly (Rhowch y tafellau o dan y gril am ychydig funudau nes bod y brig yn euraidd ac yn swigod).
9. Serve immediately (Gweiniwch ar unwaith).
2. Bara Brith (Speckled Bread)
Bara Brith is a traditional Welsh fruit bread that’s perfect for tea time. It’s made with dried fruits and spices, and it’s often enjoyed with butter.
Ingredients:
– 300ml of strong tea (te cryf)
– 250g of mixed dried fruit (ffrwythau sych cymysg)
– 225g of self-raising flour (blawd hunan-godi)
– 175g of brown sugar (siwgr brown)
– 1 teaspoon of mixed spice (sbeis cymysg)
– 1 egg, beaten (wy, wedi’i guro)
Instructions:
1. Soak the dried fruit in the tea overnight (Socian y ffrwythau sych yn y te dros nos).
2. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (Rhowch y ffwrn ymlaen i 160 gradd Celsius).
3. Line a loaf tin with baking paper (Leiniwch dun torth gyda phapur pobi).
4. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and mixed spice (Mewn bowlen fawr, cymysgwch y blawd, siwgr, a sbeis cymysg).
5. Add the soaked fruit and any remaining tea, along with the beaten egg (Ychwanegwch y ffrwythau wedi’u socian a’r te sydd ar ôl, ynghyd â’r wy wedi’i guro).
6. Mix well until combined (Cymysgwch yn dda nes bod popeth wedi’i gyfuno).
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin (Tywalltwch y gymysgedd i’r dun torth parod).
8. Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean (Pobwch am tua 1 awr a 30 munud, neu nes bod sgiwer wedi’i fewnosod i’r canol yn dod allan yn lân).
9. Let it cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely (Gadewch iddo oeri yn y dun am 10 munud, yna trowch allan ar rac gwifren i oeri’n llwyr).
10. Serve sliced with butter (Gweiniwch wedi’i sleisio gyda menyn).
3. Cawl (Welsh Stew)
Cawl is a traditional Welsh stew that’s hearty and perfect for cold days. It’s typically made with lamb and vegetables.
Ingredients:
– 500g of lamb, diced (cig oen, wedi’i dorri’n giwbiau)
– 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped (tatws mawr, wedi’u plicio a’u torri)
– 2 carrots, peeled and sliced (moron, wedi’u plicio a’u sleisio)
– 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped (pannas, wedi’i blicio a’i dorri)
– 1 leek, cleaned and sliced (cenhinen, wedi’i lanhau a’i sleisio)
– 1 onion, chopped (wynwns, wedi’i dorri)
– 1.5 liters of lamb or vegetable stock (stoc cig oen neu lysiau)
– Salt and pepper to taste (halen a phupur i flasu)
– Fresh parsley, chopped (persli ffres, wedi’i dorri)
Instructions:
1. Place the lamb in a large pot and cover with the stock (Rhowch y cig oen mewn pot mawr a gorchuddiwch gyda’r stoc).
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour (Dewch â hi i’r berw, yna lleihau’r gwres a mudferwi am 1 awr).
3. Add the potatoes, carrots, parsnip, leek, and onion (Ychwanegwch y tatws, moron, pannas, cennin, ac wynwns).
4. Simmer for another 30-40 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender (Mudferwi am 30-40 munud arall, neu nes bod y llysiau’n dendr).
5. Season with salt and pepper (Sesnwch gyda halen a phupur).
6. Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving (Ysgeintiwch gyda phersli ffres cyn gweini).
7. Serve hot with crusty bread (Gweiniwch yn boeth gyda bara crwst).
Practice Makes Perfect
The best way to get comfortable with these Welsh culinary terms and phrases is to practice using them. Try following a Welsh recipe or even translating your favorite recipes into Welsh. Not only will this help you improve your language skills, but it will also give you a deeper appreciation for Welsh culture and cuisine.
Moreover, consider joining a Welsh cooking class or finding a language exchange partner who is interested in cooking. This can provide you with practical experience and the opportunity to learn from native speakers.
Remember, language learning is a journey, and incorporating your interests, such as cooking, can make the process enjoyable and engaging. So, don your apron, grab your cooking utensils, and start exploring the rich culinary traditions of Wales!
Byddwch yn hapus coginio! (Happy cooking!)
