Suikale

Suikale is a Finnish noun meaning a slender, elongated piece cut from something larger. The core sense is a long, narrow strip or slice, and the term is used across several domains to describe pieces that share that shape. In cooking, suikale refers to meat, poultry, or vegetables cut into thin strips, which are used in stews, stir-fries, or salads. In textiles and crafts, suikale denotes a fabric strip employed for binding, piping, or quilting; patchwork and other strip-based projects frequently rely on suikale pieces. In manufacturing and packaging, the word can describe produced strips of material, such as metal or plastic, that are supplied or processed as slender forms.

The word is common in everyday Finnish and is understood across dialects. The plural form is suikaleet, used when referring to multiple strips. The related adjective suikaleinen describes something that is composed of, or arranged as, strips, or, in some contexts, something that has a strip-like appearance.

Usage notes and context help prevent ambiguity, as suikale can denote strips of varying materials and purposes. In culinary writing, it clearly indicates thin cuts of food, while in sewing or crafts, it points to fabric strips used in construction or decoration. In industrial contexts, it may appear in specifications describing material form and processing steps. Overall, suikale functions as a generic term for any narrow, elongated piece produced from a larger item.