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Dictionary

Ever read a recipe you felt like trying but some words just don’t make sense e.g. Fenugreek or Asafoetida? Here’s your ready reference. Treat this as a dictionary for all your Bengali Culinary words.

Here you go!

Vegetables and Legumes

English Name

Bengali Name

Amaranth

Noyte shaakh

নটে শাখ

Apple Gourd

Tinda

তিন্দা

Ash Gourd

Chal Kumro

চাল কুমড়ো

Beetroot

Beet

বীট

Bitter Gourd

Karola/Karela

করলা

Bitter melon/Bitter gourd

Karola

করলা

Black-eyed pea

Lobia

লোবিয়া

Bottle Gourd/ Calabash

Lau

লাউ

Broad Beans

Sheem

সীম

Brussels sprout

Biliti Bandhakopi

বিলিতি বাধাকপি

Cabbage

Badha Kopi

বাধাকপি

Carrot

Gajor

গাজর

Cauliflower

Fulkopi

ফুলকপি

Celery

Pathuni Shaakh

পাথুনি শাখ

Ceylon spinach

Pui Shaakh

পুঁই শাখ

Chickpea

Chola

ছোলা

Cilantro/ Coriander

Dhane Pata

ধনে পাতা

Cucumber

Sausha

শসা

Drumstick

Sajner Data

সজনের ডাটা

Eggplant/Aubergine/Brinjal

Begun

বেগুন

Elephant Foot yam

Ol

ওল

French Beans

Beans

বিন্স

Garbanzo

Kabuli Chola

কাবুলি ছোলা

Gooseberry

Amloki

আমলকি

Indian pea

Mator

মটর

Ivy Gourd/ Gentlemen’s Toe/Little Gourd

Kundri

কুন্দ্রী

Jackfruit

Kathal

কাঠাল

Kidney bean

Raajma

রাজমা

Lentil

Dal

ডাল

Lotus root

Padma

পদ্ম শাখ

Malabar Spinach

Pui Shaakh

পুঁই শাখ

Mint

Pudina Pata

পুদিনা পাতা

Moth bean

Mung dal

মুগ ডাল

Mustard

Sarse

সরসে

Okra

Bhindi/Bhendi

ভিন্দী/ ঢেরস

Onion

Peyaj

পেয়াজ

Pea

Matorshuti

মটরশুটি

Pigeon pea

Arhar Dal

অরহর ডাল

Pointed Gourd

Potol

পটল

Potato

Alu

আলু

Pumpkin

Kumro

কুমড়ো

Radish

Mulo

মুলো

Red Amaranth

Lal shaakh

লাল শাখ

Red Lentil

Masur Dal

মুসুর ডাল

Ridge Gourd/ Chinese Okra

Jhinga/Jhinge

ঝিঙ্গা

Snake Gourd

Chichinga

চিচিঙ্গা

Spinach

Palang

পালং

Spring Onion/Scallion

Peyajkoli

পেয়াজকলি

String Beans

Barboti

বরবটি

Sweet corn aka corn; aka maize

Bhutta

ভুট্টা

Sweet Potato or Kumara

Mishti Alu

মিষ্টি আলু

Taro

Kochur Loti

কচুরলতি

Teasle Gourd

Kakrol

কাকরোল

Tomato

Tomaato

টমেটো

Turnip

Olkopi

ওলকপি

Turnip greens

Shalgam

শালগম

Water spinach

Palang

পালং

Winter melon

Chal Kumro

চাল কুমড়ো

Yam

Kochu

কোচু

Spices

English Name

Bengali Name

Allspice

Kebab chini

কাবাব চিনি

Asafoetida

Hing

হিং

Bay Leaf

Tej Pata

তেজ পাতা

Black Cardamom

Bauro Elaich

বড় এলাচ

Black Cumin

Kalo Zeera

কালো জিরা

Black Pepper

Gol Morich

গোল মরিচ

Black Salt

Kalo Noone

কালো নুন

Brown Mustard Seed

Choto sarse/ Rai

ছোট সর্ষে/রাই

Caraway Seeds

Shahi Zeera

শাহ জিরা

Carom/Thyme

Joane/ Ajwain

জোয়ান

Celery

Radhuni

রাধুনি

Chili

Lanka

লঙ্কা

Cinnamon

Dalchini

দারচিনি

Cloves

Labango

লবঙ্গ

Coriander

Dhane

ধনে

Cumin

Jeera/ Zeera

জিরা

Dates

Khejur

খেজুর 

Fennel

Mouri

মৌরি

Fenugreek

Methi

মেথি

Fenugreek Leaf

Kasuri Methi

কাসুরি মেথি

Garlic

Rasun

রসুন

Ginger

Aada

আদা

Green Cardamom

Choto Elaich

ছোট এলাচ

Holy Basil

Tulsi

তুলসী

Mace

Joitree

জৈত্রী

Mustard

Sarse

সর্ষে

Nutmeg

Jaiphal

জায়ফল

Pickle

Achar

আচার

Poppy Seeds

Posto

পোস্ত

Saffron

Zafran

জাফরান

Salt

Laban/ Noone

লবন/ নুন

Sour Mango Powder

Aamchur

আমচুর

Spice Mixture

Garam Masala

গরম মসলা

Star Anise

Chakro Phool

চক্র ফুল

Star Anise

Guamouri

গুয়ামৌরি

Tamarind

Tetul

তেতুল

Turmeric

Halud

হলুদ

Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments.

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439 thoughts on “Dictionary”

Comment navigation

Older Comments
  1. Sanchita mandal says:
    May 9, 2020 at 8:58 AM

    Pls tell me. Someone the kumro shaak ke english e ki bole.

    Reply
  2. Nandini Som Mathur says:
    May 8, 2020 at 12:12 AM

    What do you call gadal pata in English?

    Reply
  3. Arnab Paul says:
    December 13, 2019 at 2:25 PM

    পেঁয়াজপাতার ইংরেজিটা জানতে পারলে ভাল হত।

    Reply
    1. Sudeshna Banerjee says:
      December 19, 2019 at 10:50 AM

      Spring onion

      Reply
  4. Lamia says:
    September 10, 2019 at 5:53 PM

    What is Boinari pata or sometimes called boina pata called in English? Can I atleast have the latin name?

    Reply
    1. Sudeshna Banerjee says:
      December 9, 2019 at 2:59 PM

      Sorry, I am not sure if I know this one. But I’ll ask around

      Reply
  5. Debika Poddar says:
    July 31, 2019 at 3:09 AM

    Bengali kolmi shaak is missing.i don’t know English name of this.but in Bengal its call Kalmi shaak

    Reply
  6. M A Bareque Khan says:
    June 6, 2019 at 11:48 AM

    What is celery seed in bangla? Is it radhuni or ajwine or something other than those mentioned?

    Reply
    1. Sudeshna Banerjee says:
      June 14, 2019 at 1:58 PM

      Celery is called pathuni shaak. Radhuni and ajwain are all different from celery.

      Reply
    2. Ankita Biswas says:
      September 3, 2019 at 5:26 PM

      I use celery seed in the place of radhuni in paanch phoron. It works just fine.

      Reply
  7. somenath chowdhury says:
    April 28, 2019 at 7:45 AM

    what is the bengali meaninig of chia seed.

    Reply
  8. Shubha says:
    April 18, 2019 at 2:27 AM

    Tender coconut

    Reply
    1. Swagatama Banerjee says:
      April 28, 2019 at 3:36 AM

      Chalmogoj

      Reply
  9. Moumista Roy says:
    March 14, 2019 at 7:26 AM

    What we call khasar chaal in English ?

    Reply
  10. BISWAJIT DAS says:
    March 7, 2019 at 8:25 AM

    What’s the English meaning of “Kochi Dab” or “Kochi Daber Jol”.

    Reply
    1. Sudeshna Banerjee says:
      April 4, 2019 at 4:47 PM

      Its green coconut/ green coconut water

      Reply
      1. Sayantan Das Gupta says:
        June 21, 2020 at 6:20 AM

        Tender coconut water

        Reply
  11. Shinjinee says:
    February 6, 2019 at 1:37 AM

    I think water spinach is “kolmi saag/shaakh” while red amaranth leaves is “laal saag/lal shaakh”.

    Reply
  12. Lopamudra Gan says:
    November 2, 2018 at 9:53 AM

    What is chomon Bahar in English?

    Reply
  13. Kali Krishna Das says:
    October 11, 2018 at 5:48 AM

    Kaon chal

    Reply
    1. Saikat says:
      April 20, 2019 at 9:39 AM

      Foxtail Millet

      Reply
  14. Shamik Dhar says:
    October 9, 2018 at 6:08 AM

    What are the constituents of choddo saak? Can you please elucidate!

    Reply
  15. Sandip says:
    July 23, 2018 at 7:30 AM

    What is alfaalfa in bengali ?

    Reply
  16. Dipankar Dasgupta says:
    May 6, 2018 at 12:56 PM

    What do you call “Lau Doga”? — Gourd Shoots?

    Reply
    1. Sudeshna Banerjee says:
      June 17, 2018 at 7:29 PM

      Yes

      Reply
  17. Awatar Singh says:
    April 19, 2018 at 1:45 AM

    Wich name is called of chia seeds in bangali

    Reply
    1. Antara says:
      September 30, 2018 at 1:51 PM

      tokma

      Reply
  18. Susmita adhikary says:
    April 13, 2018 at 6:03 PM

    What is oregano in bengali??

    Reply
  19. Poulomi Chatterjee says:
    March 18, 2018 at 6:44 PM

    What is Long Melon in bangla? Is it Lau ?

    Reply
  20. Sudipto says:
    February 3, 2018 at 3:27 PM

    This list is useful for English speaking people who want to know how to do their kitchen shopping in Bengali. Could you not have written the Bengali names (of the ingredients) on the left column and their English names on the right? And if you could arrange those Bengali names alphabetically, it would have been easier to scroll according to the first letter and find the correct Bengali item’s English name. The way it is now, one first should know the English name and then find it’s meaning in Bengali. It would be nice if you could make a similar list for Bengalees, who can search for recipes in Google by typing English keywords.

    Reply
    1. Sudeshna Banerjee says:
      February 5, 2018 at 12:02 PM

      Hi Sudipto,
      Thanks for the comment. I’ll definitely try to make a list like you suggested.

      Reply
  21. Sharmila says:
    January 9, 2018 at 4:08 AM

    What is the Bengali of :-
    1)leek
    2)rosemary
    3)saga-sagaseed
    4)Are celery and parsley the same? Both meaning you said– Radhuni
    5)Are Thyme,Carom,Oregano same? You said it’s Ajwain or Ajwain leaves

    Reply
  22. Siddhartha says:
    December 26, 2017 at 6:59 AM

    What about rose mery herbs

    Reply
  23. Minhaz says:
    December 7, 2017 at 6:40 AM

    What is favs bean in Bengali

    Reply
  24. Rashila says:
    November 21, 2017 at 1:43 PM

    What is THYME in bangla??

    Reply
  25. Arindam pal says:
    November 12, 2017 at 4:47 PM

    Meaning of chicory

    Reply
  26. Sharmistha Dey says:
    October 31, 2017 at 11:05 AM

    Randhuni pata

    Reply
    1. mithun roy says:
      December 28, 2017 at 9:24 PM

      celery pata
      sobjee bazaare shaak paata jara banche tader kachhe celery chailey die day… ora abar randhuni pata chaile bojhe na.

      Reply
  27. solanki says:
    October 31, 2017 at 4:34 AM

    what about “Gondoraj lebu”??

    Reply
  28. Shaima Alam says:
    October 16, 2017 at 10:35 AM

    What is tarragon in Bengali??

    Reply
  29. Shaima Alam says:
    October 16, 2017 at 10:34 AM

    What is tarragon in Bengali?

    Reply
  30. Soma1966a says:
    October 12, 2017 at 1:53 PM

    Meaning of sageseeds

    Reply
  31. Soma1966a says:
    October 12, 2017 at 1:51 PM

    Its very helpful..pls tell me the meaning of sageseeds in bengali.
    Thanks

    Reply
    1. abdul hai siddique says:
      February 5, 2018 at 5:36 AM

      sageseeds—vui tulesi seed—tulshir biz

      Reply
  32. Sridip says:
    October 12, 2017 at 6:04 AM

    Great Effort!!! I have some questions to you…

    1. What does the Rajgira means in Bengali?

    Reply
  33. Sridip says:
    October 12, 2017 at 6:03 AM

    Great Effort!!! I have some questions to you…

    1. What does the Rajgira means in Bengali?

    2. What does the Rosemerry means in Bengali?

    3. What does the Blueberry means in Bengali?

    4. What do the Chives mean in Bengali?

    Reply
    1. Purple Heart says:
      January 2, 2018 at 12:49 PM

      Rosemerry is called “Rosemerry” in bangla too. It is kind of hearb found either fresh or dried.
      Chives meaning “peyaaj koli” or “peyaj ful”. And Spring onion means “peyaj pata” with white onion n leafy part as well.

      Reply
  34. Sridip says:
    October 12, 2017 at 6:00 AM

    Great Effort!!! I have some questions to you…

    1. What does the Rajgira means in Bengali?

    2. What does the Rosemerry means in Bengali?

    3. What does the Blueberry means in Bengali?

    4. What do the Chives mean in Bengali?

    Reply
  35. Dolly ghosh says:
    October 9, 2017 at 4:34 AM

    what is parsley ?

    Reply
    1. Sharmistha Dey says:
      October 31, 2017 at 11:04 AM

      Randhuni pata

      Reply
    2. vvvvvv says:
      November 9, 2017 at 4:41 AM

      Dhone pata

      Reply
    3. Ranajay Gupta says:
      November 9, 2017 at 11:53 AM

      Parsley seeds are ‘radhuni’. Parsley is generally referred to as ‘Pashli pata’ in the markets in Kolkata where it is available (New Market, Park Circus Market and Gariahat Market, among others).

      Reply
  36. akash bagchi says:
    October 1, 2017 at 3:47 PM

    thank you nice list

    Reply
  37. Atanu Das says:
    September 21, 2017 at 9:43 AM

    Chia Seed

    Reply
  38. Sarmi says:
    September 16, 2017 at 5:55 AM

    ‘Chal-er Mogoj’ what is the translation in english or hindi

    Reply
    1. Sudeshna Banerjee says:
      September 19, 2017 at 12:31 AM

      Its called char magaz in Hindi

      Reply
  39. Ruma says:
    September 11, 2017 at 2:31 PM

    Origano mane ki atake banglai ki bole

    Reply
    1. Nilofar says:
      September 20, 2017 at 6:54 AM

      Ajwain ka patta is oregano. Dried Ajwain leaves.

      Reply
  40. Kaberi Dawn says:
    August 21, 2017 at 1:31 AM

    What is meant by Bilati Dhonepata?I found this on YouTube in a recipe by Salma’s kitchen.It was a loitta fish curry from Coxbazar region. In no way it looked like Dhonepata, it had long narrow leaves.

    Reply
    1. Sudeshna Banerjee says:
      August 21, 2017 at 6:59 PM

      Kaberi,
      Bilati dhonepata is called culantro (not cilantro) in English. It has a broad leaf and is much more pungent than the normal cilantro

      Reply
      1. kaberi Dawn says:
        August 28, 2017 at 2:34 PM

        Thank you so much Sudeshna.

        Reply
      2. Ram says:
        October 15, 2017 at 6:00 AM

        Sahi pakda

        Reply
    2. Mousumi Das says:
      November 13, 2017 at 1:10 AM

      Bilati Dhonepata is unlike the normal Dhonepata.. It has 4-5 inches long oval shaped leaves with zigzag edges.. the plant grows well in marshy land. The leaves smell like dhonepata.. the plant grows all roung the year.

      Reply
  41. Nupur Dutt says:
    August 4, 2017 at 11:22 PM

    What’s Bengali of Cale?

    Reply
    1. Priom Banik says:
      August 23, 2017 at 5:28 AM

      It is not cale, it is Kale… Kale is Leaf Cabbage… Paata Badhakopi…

      Reply
    2. kaberi Dawn says:
      August 28, 2017 at 2:40 PM

      Kale does not have any Bengali name. Botanically it is of the cabbage family. But it tastes and smells a bit like our mulo shak or radish greens.

      Reply
  42. Soham Mukhopadhyay says:
    July 19, 2017 at 1:46 PM

    What is ground parsley???

    Reply
  43. Tasnim says:
    July 7, 2017 at 1:10 AM

    Spring Onion meaning in Bangla?

    Reply
    1. Raja says:
      August 10, 2017 at 3:24 AM

      Spring Onion Piyazkoli

      Spring Onion/Scallion – Peyajkoli (পেয়াজকলি)

      Reply
    2. Priom banik says:
      August 23, 2017 at 5:25 AM

      Spring Onion is Peyaj Koli…

      Reply
  44. Anisha Biswas says:
    June 10, 2017 at 2:51 AM

    What is chicory root in Bengali?

    Reply
  45. Indronil Halder says:
    June 7, 2017 at 7:46 AM

    Very good list.

    Reply
  46. aritra says:
    June 6, 2017 at 7:20 AM

    What’s the Bengali of oregano?

    Reply
  47. Fahmida says:
    June 2, 2017 at 10:32 PM

    Can you say what Quinoa is?

    Reply
    1. Kali Krishna Das says:
      October 11, 2018 at 5:46 AM

      Kaon chal

      Reply
  48. Sajid Anjam says:
    May 30, 2017 at 11:35 AM

    This is wonderful effort .Can you tell me the bengali of alfalfa sprout pls?

    Reply

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