Retsept

Retsept is an Estonian noun that has two common meanings in everyday language: a cooking recipe and a medical prescription. In culinary use, a retsept is a set of instructions that describes how to prepare a dish or beverage. It typically lists ingredients with amounts, a sequence of steps, and may include information on preparation and cooking times, yield or serving size, and notes on substitutions or technique.

In a medical context, retsept refers to an order issued by a licensed healthcare professional authorizing the dispensation of a specific medicine. A prescription generally specifies the patient’s name, the prescribed drug, dosage and directions, the quantity to be dispensed, and instructions for use. In Estonia, prescriptions can be issued on paper or electronically. Electronic prescriptions, often referred to as e-retsept, are processed through pharmacies and national health information systems to facilitate dispensing and record-keeping.

Etymology and related terms: The word retsept is cognate with terms in other European languages related to taking or following instructions, such as the French recette and the German Rezept, which reflect the shared linguistic heritage of the concept across domains of cooking and medicine.

See also: recipe, prescription.