Series: Part 1 — Vegetables & Fruits Part 2 — Dairy, Grains & Spices Part 3 — Coming Soon Part 4 — Coming Soon

🛒 Supermarket Farsi Dictionary — Part 2 of 4

Dairy, Grains, Meat, Eggs, Herbs & Spices in Farsi

Your child already knows their vegetables from Part 1. Now let's fill the rest of the trolley — from the bread aisle to the spice rack — all in Persian.

👧 Ages 5–14 🌍 Heritage Families 📖 40+ New Words 🗣️ With Pronunciation

Series progress

~80 / 200 words covered

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Dairy Products — لبنیات (lab-ni-yaat)

The dairy aisle — one of the most important sections in any Persian household

	English	فارسی	Pronunciation	Quick note
🥛	Milk	شیر	shir	Also means "lion" — context tells which one!
🧀	Cheese	پنیر	pa-nir	Persian white cheese is eaten at nearly every breakfast.
🫙	Yoghurt	ماست	maast	Served with almost every Persian meal. Essential word.
🧈	Butter	کره	ka-re	Used on bread and in Persian rice dishes.
🍦	Cream / Double Cream	خامه	khaa-me	Also used in Persian desserts like faloodeh and cream puffs.
🫗	Doogh (Persian Yoghurt Drink)	دوغ	doogh	A fizzy salty yoghurt drink — very Persian! Kids love to spot this.
🫙	Kashk (Whey)	کشک	kashk	Fermented whey — used in Kashk-e Bademjan and other dishes.
🥤	Sour Cream	ماست ترش	maast-e torsh	Literally "sour yoghurt."

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Culture note: In Iranian households, ماست (yoghurt) appears at lunch and dinner daily — as a side dish, as a dip (with cucumber, garlic, or herbs), and even mixed into rice. Teaching your child this word is teaching them a core part of Persian food culture.

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Grains & Bread — غلات و نان (gho-laat va naan)

Bread and grains are the foundation of the Persian diet

	English	فارسی	Pronunciation	Quick note
🌾	Rice	برنج	be-renj	The most important grain in Persian cooking. Appears at every lunch and dinner.
🍞	Bread	نان	naan	Flatbread. Four types: barbari, lavash, sangak, taftoon.
🫓	Barbari Bread	نان بربری	naan-e bar-ba-ri	Thick oval flatbread with ridges — the most popular Persian breakfast bread.
🌯	Lavash Bread	نان لواش	naan-e la-vaash	Very thin and soft flatbread. Used to wrap food or eat with cheese.
🌾	Flour	آرد	aard	Used for baking Persian sweets and bread.
🫘	Lentils	عدس	a-das	Used in Adasi soup — a classic Persian comfort food.
🫘	Chickpeas	نخودچی	no-khod-chi	Roasted chickpeas are a traditional Persian snack (آجیل).
🫘	Kidney Beans	لوبیا قرمز	lo-bi-yaa-ye ghahr-mez	Used in Ghormeh Sabzi and other Persian stews.
🌿	Barley	جو	jo	Used in traditional Persian soups like Ash-e Jo.
🟡	Bulgur Wheat	بلغور	bol-ghoor	Cracked wheat used in some Persian soups and porridges.

🗣️ Bread phrases to practise

We need to buy bread. باید نان بخریم. baa-yad naan be-kha-rim.

Is the bread fresh? نان تازه‌ست؟ naan taa-ze-st?

I want barbari bread. نان بربری می‌خوام. naan-e bar-ba-ri mi-khaam.

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Meat & Protein — گوشت و پروتئین (goosht va pro-te-in)

Key protein words — essential for talking about Persian cooking

	English	فارسی	Pronunciation	Quick note
🥩	Meat	گوشت	goosht	The general word for all meat.
🐄	Beef	گوشت گاو	goosht-e gaav	Literally "cow meat." Used in many Persian kebabs and stews.
🐑	Lamb	گوشت بره	goosht-e ba-re	The most traditional meat in Persian cuisine.
🍗	Chicken	مرغ	morgh	Very common in Persian cooking. Also means "hen/bird."
🐟	Fish	ماهی	maa-hi	Traditionally eaten on Nowruz (Persian New Year).
🦐	Shrimp / Prawns	میگو	mi-goo	Popular in southern Iranian coastal cooking.
🥚	Eggs	تخم‌مرغ	tokhm-morgh	Literally "bird egg." Core ingredient in Persian omelette (املت).
🌭	Minced Meat	گوشت چرخ‌کرده	goosht-e charkh-kar-de	Used in Koofteh (meatballs) and kebab koobideh.
🫀	Liver	جگر	je-gar	Also means "heart/soul" figuratively in Persian poetry.

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Culture note: The word جگر (je-gar) is a beautiful example of Persian double meaning. At the butcher it means "liver" — but in poetry and everyday speech, Iranians say "جگرم" (my liver) to a loved one, meaning "my dearest." Language is culture.

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Herbs & Spices — سبزی و ادویه (sab-zi va ad-vi-ye)

Persian cooking is defined by herbs and spice blends — these are the most important ones

	English	فارسی	Pronunciation	Quick note
🌿	Fresh Herbs (mixed)	سبزی	sab-zi	The collective word for all fresh green herbs. Also means "vegetable."
🌱	Parsley	جعفری	ja-fa-ri	Used in almost every Persian mixed herb dish.
🌿	Coriander / Cilantro	گشنیز	gesh-niz	Widely used in southern Iranian and Shirazi cooking.
🌾	Fenugreek	شنبلیله	sham-ba-li-le	Key herb in Ghormeh Sabzi — one of Iran's most beloved dishes.
🫚	Turmeric	زردچوبه	zard-chu-be	The yellow spice used in almost all Persian cooking. Literally "yellow wood."
🔴	Saffron	زعفران	za-fa-raan	The most prized Persian spice. Used in rice, sweets, and tea. Iran produces 90% of world saffron.
🌶️	Chilli Pepper	فلفل تند	fel-fel-e tond	Literally "spicy pepper." Used moderately in Persian cooking.
⚫	Black Pepper	فلفل سیاه	fel-fel-e si-yaah	Everyday spice used in all Persian savoury dishes.
🟤	Cinnamon	دارچین	daar-chin	Used in Persian rice dishes, stews, and sweet drinks like Chai Darchini.
🫙	Mixed Spice Blend	ادویه مخلوط	ad-vi-ye-ye makh-loot	Persian mixed spice — every family has their own blend.
🌸	Dried Rose Petals	گلاب	gol-aab	Rose water — used in Persian desserts, rice, and tea. گلاب means "rose water."

🌸

Culture note: زعفران (saffron) is not just a spice in Iran — it is a national treasure. Iran produces more saffron than any other country in the world. When you teach your child this word, tell them that the red threads that colour Persian rice golden come from the flower crocus — and that Iran has been growing it for over 3,000 years.

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Pantry Staples — اقلام خواروبار (agh-laam-e khaa-ro-baar)

The dry goods and condiments that every Persian kitchen keeps stocked

	English	فارسی	Pronunciation	Quick note
🍬	Sugar	شکر	she-kar	Used in Persian tea, sweets, and desserts.
🧂	Salt	نمک	na-mak	One of the first words children learn in any language.
🫒	Oil	روغن	raw-ghan	Essential for all Persian cooking — sunflower or vegetable oil is common.
🍯	Honey	عسل	a-sal	Eaten with bread and butter at Persian breakfast. Also used in Persian poetry as a symbol of sweetness.
🍾	Vinegar	سرکه	sar-ke	Used in Persian pickles (ترشی) and salad dressings.
🍅	Tomato Paste	رب گوجه	rob-be go-je	Used as a base in almost every Persian stew and khoresh.
🥫	Canned Goods	کنسرو	kon-ser-v	Borrowed from French/English — easy for kids to recognise.
🧴	Washing-Up Liquid	مایع ظرفشویی	maa-ye-e zarf-shu-yi	A longer word — challenge for older kids to say in full!
🧻	Tissue / Paper Towel	دستمال کاغذی	das-taal-e kaa-gha-zi	Literally "paper handkerchief." Common in any grocery shop.

🧃

Drinks — نوشیدنی‌ها (noo-shi-da-ni-haa)

What to look for in the drinks aisle — including Persian favourites

	English	فارسی	Pronunciation	Quick note
💧	Water	آب	aab	One of the shortest and most important words in Farsi. Also means "river" in place names.
🧃	Juice	آبمیوه	aab-mi-ve	Literally "fruit water." Children love this compound word.
🍵	Tea	چای	chaay	The heart of Persian hospitality. Iran drinks more tea per person than almost any country.
☕	Coffee	قهوه	ghah-ve	From Arabic. Growing in popularity in modern Iran.
🥤	Fizzy Drink / Soda	نوشابه	no-shaa-be	The generic Farsi word for all fizzy drinks.
🍹	Sherbet / Sharbat	شربت	shar-bat	Sweet fruit syrup mixed with water — a traditional Persian drink, especially in summer.

🧠 Quick memory game — can your child match these?

Cover the English column and ask your child: "What does this Farsi word mean?" Try it in the supermarket!

Milkشیر

Saffronزعفران

Teaچای

Honeyعسل

Chickenمرغ

Turmericزردچوبه

Riceبرنج

Yoghurtماست

← Previous

Part 1 — Vegetables, Fruits & Shopping Basics

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Part 3 — Snacks, Nuts, Sweets & Frozen Foods

🍪🥜🍦

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