ízesít

ízesít is a Hungarian verb meaning to season or flavor food by adding ingredients that enhance its taste. It describes the act of making a dish more flavorful through elements such as salt, sugar, acids, spices, herbs, or other flavor enhancers. The infinitive form is ízesíteni, and the 3rd person singular present indicative is ízesít. The related noun ízesítés denotes the process or result of seasoning, i.e., the seasoning or flavoring of a dish. The term is commonly used in culinary contexts and is often contrasted with or used alongside fűszerezés, which also means seasoning but emphasizes the use of spices.

Etymology and morphology: ízesít derives from the noun íz meaning taste or flavor, with the verbalizing suffix -esít, forming a verb that means to cause to have taste or to flavor. As a transitive verb, ízesít requires a direct object, for example, ízesíti a levest (he seasons the soup) or ízesíteni az ételt (to season the dish).

Usage: In recipes and cooking discourse, ízesítés refers to adjusting a dish’s taste, often toward the preferred balance of salty, sweet, sour, and umami. Common practices include adding paprika, garlic, herbs, or other seasonings and tasting during preparation to determine if further ízesítés is needed. The term can appear in imperative forms as well, such as ízesítsd, meaning “season it.”

See also: fűszerezés, fűszerező, íz. In Hungarian culinary language, ízesítés is a standard term alongside fűszerezés for describing the act of making food more flavorful.