tálak

Tálak are the Hungarian plural form of tál, a common term for a dish, bowl, or plate used for serving and eating. The singular tál denotes a vessel, often ceramic or metal, intended to hold food. The plural tálak refers to multiple such vessels, whether in a household, a restaurant, or during a service setting. The word is used to denote both everyday bowls and larger serving dishes.

In usage, tálak are integral to Hungarian dining and kitchen vocabulary. They appear in phrases such as tálban (in a bowl) or tálból (from a bowl) and in terms like tálalás (the act of serving food on dishes). Food presented in multiple tálak on a table is common in family meals and celebrations.

Materials and shapes vary: tálak can be ceramic, porcelain, glass, metal, or wood; shapes range from deep soup bowls to shallow serving plates and large platters. The term also covers small bowls (tálkák) used for condiments or desserts, and is contrasted with a tálca (tray), which is a flat surface for carrying several tálak.

In contemporary Hungarian, tálak are also used in restaurants and catering to present dishes in a controlled portioning. The term is generic and does not prescribe size or material beyond the vessel’s function.