pilkottuna

Pilkkottuna is a Finnish cooking term used to describe the state of an ingredient that has been chopped into small pieces. It derives from the verb pilkkoa, which means to cut or chop into pieces, and the participial form pilkottu, with pilkottuna functioning in contexts that indicate readiness or a prepared state. In recipe writing, pilkkottuna helps specify how an ingredient should be prepared before use.

In practice, pilkkottuna indicates that the ingredient is not used whole, but in a minced or diced form. The exact size can vary by context, and writers may add qualifiers such as hienon (finely) or karkeasti (coarsely) to convey the intended piece size. For example, sipulit pilkottuna generally means onions that have been chopped into small pieces, ready to be sautéed or added to a dish. The term is commonly found in Finnish cookbooks, online recipes, and meal-preparation instructions.

Linguistically, pilkottuna is related to pilkottu (the past participle) and serves as an essive-like form to express a state or appearance of an ingredient. It contrasts with pilkottu as a standalone noun phrase (“minced onions”) versus pilkkottuna as a descriptor within a larger instruction (“use the onions pilkkottuna”). Similar culinary descriptors in Finnish include silputtu (finely chopped) and viipaloitu (sliced), which differentiate preparation methods.

Overall, pilkkottuna functions as a common, practical label in Finnish cooking to communicate that an ingredient should be prepared by chopping into small pieces, ensuring consistent texture and integration into the dish.