Cooklang Specification

Just heads up, that not all latest language features supported in the apps yet. You can track progress at https://github.com/orgs/cooklang/projects/4

About Cooklang

Cooklang is the markup language at the center of an open-source ecosystem for cooking and recipe management. In Cooklang, each text file is a recipe written as plain-english instructions with markup syntax to add machine-parsible information about required ingredients, cookware, time, and metadata.

The .cook recipe specification

Below is the specification for defining a recipe in Cooklang.

Ingredients

To define an ingredient, use the @ symbol. If the ingredient's name contains multiple words, indicate the end of the name with {}.

Then add @salt and @ground black pepper{} to taste.

To indicate the quantity of an item, place the quantity inside {} after the name.

Poke holes in @potato{2}.

To use a unit of an item, such as weight or volume, add a % between the quantity and unit.

Place @bacon strips{1%kg} on a baking sheet and glaze with @syrup{1/2%tbsp}.

Now you can try Cooklang and experiment with a few things in the Cooklang Playground!

Steps

Each paragraph in your recipe file is a cooking step. Separate steps with an empty line.

A step,
the same step.

A different step.

If you want to force a line break within a step, end the line with a backslash \. The backslash will be replaced with a newline character when rendered.

Lay out the @rice paper{1}.\
Top with @avocado{1/2}(sliced),\
@cucumber{1/2}(julienned),\
and @cooked shrimp{4}.

This will render as multiple lines within a single step.

Comments

You can add comments up to the end of the line to Cooklang text with --.

-- Don't burn the roux!

Mash @potato{2%kg} until smooth -- alternatively, boil 'em first, then mash 'em, then stick 'em in a stew.

Or block comments with [- comment text -].

Slowly add @milk{4%cup} [- TODO change units to litres -], keep mixing

Metadata

Recipes are more than just steps and ingredients—they also include context, such as preparation times, authorship, and dietary relevance. You can add metadata to your recipe using YAML front matter, add --- at the beginning of a file and --- at the end of the front matter block.

---
title: Spaghetti Carbonara
tags:
  - pasta
  - quick
  - comfort food
---

Cookware

You can define any necessary cookware with #. Like ingredients, you don't need to use braces if it's a single word.

Place the potatoes into a #pot.
Mash the potatoes with a #potato masher{}.

Timer

You can define a timer using ~.

Lay the potatoes on a #baking sheet{} and place into the #oven{}. Bake for ~{25%minutes}.

Timers can have a name too:

Boil @eggs{2} for ~eggs{3%minutes}.

Applications can use this name in notifications.

Conventions

Beyond the core language, the Cooklang ecosystem has common conventions for file types (.cook for recipes, .menu for meal plans), shopping list configuration, pantry inventory, recipe scaling, adding pictures, and canonical metadata keys. See conventions.md for details.

Advanced

Notes

To include relevant background, insights, or personal anecdotes that aren't part of the cooking steps, use notes. Start a new line with > and add your story.

> Don't burn the roux!

Mash @potato{2%kg} until smooth -- alternatively, boil 'em first, then mash 'em, then stick 'em in a stew.

Sections

Some recipes are more complex than others and may include components that need to be prepared separately. In such cases, you can use the section syntax, e.g., ==Dough==. The section name and the = symbols after it are optional, and the number of = symbols does not matter.

= Dough

Mix @flour{200%g} and @water{100%ml} together until smooth.

== Filling ==

Combine @cheese{100%g} and @spinach{50%g}, then season to taste.

Short-hand preparations

Many recipes involve repetitive ingredient preparations, such as peeling or chopping. To simplify this, you can define these common preparations directly within the ingredient reference using shorthand syntax:

Mix @onion{1}(peeled and finely chopped) and @garlic{2%cloves}(peeled and minced) into paste.

Referencing other recipes

You can reference other recipes using the existing @ ingredient syntax. The path is relative to the root of the recipes directory, without the .cook extension:

Pour over with @./sauces/Hollandaise{150%g}.

These preparations should be clearly displayed in the ingredient list, allowing you to get everything ready before you start cooking.

Projects Which Use Cooklang

Syntax Highlighting

Roadmap

There's a GitHub board where we show what we're working on and what's next https://github.com/orgs/cooklang/projects/4.