English Translation in Baking: Why Language Matters in Recipes

When you follow a recipe, you're not just measuring flour and sugar—you're following a English translation, the accurate conversion of baking instructions from one language to another, ensuring the same outcome regardless of origin. Also known as culinary translation, it’s the quiet hero behind every successful cake, whether it started as a French macaron recipe or an Italian tiramisu. A single mistranslated word—like "sour cream" becoming "yogurt" or "baking powder" turned into "baking soda"—can turn a fluffy cake into a brick. This isn’t theory. It’s what happens when people use machine translations without checking the context.

Think about xanthan gum, a thickener used in gluten-free baking to replace the structure gluten provides. In some languages, it’s called "goma xantana" or "gum arabic," but those aren’t the same thing. If you swap them thinking they’re interchangeable, your cake will collapse. Same goes for evaporated milk, a concentrated milk product used in fudge and cheesecakes for richness without extra water. Some translations call it "condensed milk," which is sweetened and completely different. You don’t want to add sugar to fudge when the recipe didn’t ask for it.

Even something as simple as "butter" can trip you up. In some countries, "butter" means salted, in others it’s unsalted. In India, ghee is sometimes called "clarified butter," but it’s not the same as European butter in baking. And don’t get started on "flour"—"all-purpose" isn’t always "plain," and "cake flour" isn’t always labeled clearly. These aren’t minor details. They’re the difference between a perfect New York cheesecake and a cracked, dense mess.

The posts you’ll find here aren’t just random recipes. They’re all tied together by one thing: the need for clear, accurate, and culturally aware language in baking. Whether it’s figuring out if tahini is gluten-free, understanding why breaking pasta is a no-no in Italy, or realizing that M&Ms aren’t vegan because of hidden dairy, every post tackles a moment where language—or the lack of it—changed the outcome. You’ll learn how to spot mistranslations, decode ingredient labels, and ask the right questions when a recipe doesn’t quite make sense. No guesswork. No failed cakes. Just clear, practical knowledge that helps you bake with confidence—no matter where the recipe came from.