tükeldatud

Tükeldatud is an Estonian adjective formed from the verb tükeldama, meaning to cut into pieces. It is used to describe ingredients or materials that have been prepared by cutting, breaking, or fragmenting them into smaller parts. In cooking, tükeldatud denotes that something has been cut into pieces rather than kept whole.

In practice, tükeldatud is commonly used before a noun, as in tükeldatud porgandid (carrots cut into pieces) or tükeldatud sibul (chopped onions). The term is versatile and can refer to meat, vegetables, fruits, and other edible or non-edible items. It does not specify the size of the pieces; for size guidance, speakers often add descriptors such as peenelt tükeldatud (finely chopped) or suurtes tükides (in large pieces). For precise shapes, phrases like kuubikuteks lõigatud (cut into cubes) are used.

Linguistically, tükeldatud is the past passive participle form of the verb tükeldama. It can function as a predicative or attributive adjective, agreeing with the noun it modifies. The related opposites and alternatives include hakkitud (minced or finely chopped) and kuubikuteks lõigatud (cubed), which specify different preparation methods and piece sizes.

Beyond cooking, tükeldatud can describe any material that has been broken into pieces, though its usage is most frequent in culinary contexts. It provides a concise way to communicate the state of an ingredient in recipes, product labels, and instructional text.