па́тока
pátokafeminine
Molasses in Russian is па́тока (pátoka). Wiktionary also lists мела́сса (melássa) and чёрная па́тока (čórnaja pátoka).
Meaning: thick brownish syrup refined from sugarcane (noun)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| па́тока | pátoka | feminine |
| мела́сса | melássa | feminine |
| чёрная па́тока | čórnaja pátoka | feminine |
The term refers to a thick, brownish syrup refined from sugarcane.
Which one should you use?
па́тока is the common, native Russian word used to describe thick, sweet syrups or molasses in general culinary or agricultural contexts. The phrase чёрная па́тока is used specifically to refer to the dark, thick variety known as black molasses.
How does it change in a sentence?
All provided forms are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
pátoka
Did you know?
- In Russian literature and common speech, the word па́тока is sometimes used metaphorically to describe a voice or a manner of speaking that is overly sweet, cloying or insincere.
- The term мела́сса is used almost exclusively in industrial and chemical contexts, whereas па́тока is the word you would find in a home kitchen.
- In historical Russian recipes, you might see па́тока used to describe the thick, sweet essence extracted from birch sap, a tradition quite different from the sugarcane-centric definition in English.
Examples in context
- В этом рецепте нужно использовать черную патоку.This recipe requires the use of molasses.
- В этом рецепте нужна тёмная па́тока.V etom retsepte nuzhna tyomnaya patoka.This recipe requires dark molasses.
- Эта густая па́тока слишком сладкая.Eta gustaya patoka slishkom sladkaya.This thick molasses is too sweet.
Example conversation
A woman is checking the ingredients for a cake in the kitchen.
- Александр AleksandrЕкатерина, у нас есть па́тока для пирога?Ekaterina, u nas yest' patoka dlya piroga?Ekaterina, do we have molasses for the cake?
- Екатерина EkaterinaДа, я купила её вчера.Da, ya kupila yeyo vchera.Yes, I bought it yesterday.
- Александр AleksandrОтлично, тогда начинаем готовить.Otlichno, togda nachinayem gotovit'.Great, then let's start cooking.
- Екатерина EkaterinaСейчас я достану её из шкафа.Seychas ya dostanu yeyo iz shkafa.I'll get it from the cupboard now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “molasses” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
