tilberedt

Tilberedt is a past participle adjective used in Norwegian, Danish and other North Germanic languages to mean "prepared" or "cooked." It is most common in culinary contexts to describe food that has undergone preparation, such as cooking, baking, or curing. The form is typically used attributively as in tilberedt mat (prepared food) or predicatively as maten er tilberedt (the food is prepared). Beyond food, tilberedt can describe items or plans that have been arranged or made ready, though this usage is more limited in everyday speech.

Etymology and cognates: Tilberedt is formed from the verb tilberede (to prepare). The prefix til- conveys a sense of aim or completion, combined with berede (to prepare). This construction has cognates in Danish and Swedish, reflecting common North Germanic roots. The word belongs to the same family as related terms for preparation and processing in the Scandinavian languages.

Usage notes: In Norwegian Bokmål the standard form is tilberedt. The related noun tilberedning refers to the process of preparation. While tilberedt is frequent in menus, recipes, labeling, and food industry contexts, speakers may opt for related verbs or nouns to express different aspects of preparation, such as tilberede (to prepare) or berede (to prepare) in other grammatical forms. In culinary writing, tilberedt is primarily associated with ready-to-eat or pre-cooked products.

See also: tilberedning, berede, tilberedning av mat, prepared foods.