Étel

Étel is a Hungarian noun meaning food or dish. It refers to any prepared item intended for eating and is used in everyday speech, culinary writing, and restaurant menus.

In Hungarian cuisine, étel can denote both a single dish and the broader concept of a meal. It can describe hot or cold preparations, cooked dishes as well as salads, and is often combined with adjectives to specify type, such as húsétel (meat dish) or zöldséges étel (vegetable dish).

Traditional meals in Hungary are commonly structured in courses. A typical sequence might start with leves (soup), followed by a főétel (main course), possibly accompanied by köret (side dish) and then desszert. In menus, étel is the general label for any listed edible item.

In nutrition and dining contexts, étel is contrasted with ital (drink). The word also appears in compound terms such as vegetáriánus étel (vegetarian dish) or diétás étel (diet food).