Food to buy (кефир, котлета, шашлык)

The Russian Shopping Basket

Frequency lists built from films rank these words low. A Russian kitchen does not.

wordwhat it is
кефирkefir, the fermented milk drink
котлетаa rissole / meat patty — the everyday hot dish
шашлыкshashlik, meat grilled on a skewer
батонa long white loaf
булочкаa small sweet roll
картошкаpotatoes (the everyday word for картофель)
In the morning I drink kefir.
Утром я пью кефир.

Картошка or Картофель?

Both are correct. Картофель is the shop label and the word on a menu; картошка is what people actually say at home. The course taught you the formal one — this is the one you will hear.

For dinner we are having potatoes and rissoles.
На ужин у нас картошка и котлеты.

Добавлять — Adding

Добавлять / добавить is the kitchen verb for adding an ingredient, and it works outside the kitchen too: adding a word, adding money.

Добавьте соль и перец. — Add salt and pepper.

Товар

Товар is goods for sale — the shop's stock. Russians speak of свежий товар, new stock, exactly as they speak of fresh bread.

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