Tonkabohne

tonka bean

noun TON-kah-boh-neh Rare

Usage Note

Tonkabohne is the black wrinkled seed from South America used in patisserie and fine cooking. Grated with a fine grater like nutmeg, it gives a complex vanilla-almond-coumarin flavour. Food-safe in small quantities; legally used in Germany.

Examples

"Der Pâtissier riet mir Schokomousse mit geriebener Tonkabohne zu verfeinern."

Natural Translation

The pastry chef advised me to refine chocolate mousse with grated tonka bean.

Literal Translation

The pastry-chef advised me chocolate-mousse with grated tonka-bean to refine.

Related Words

Explore German by topic

GermanNow

Wo, Wohin, Woher: Three Ways to Say Where

German splits where into three: wo (location), wohin (destination), and woher (origin). Learn the wo vs wohin rule, the hin/her logic, and common mistakes.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Adjective Endings Made Simple

German adjective endings come down to one question, not three tables: does the article already show gender and case? If yes, the adjective stays lazy.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Modal Particles: doch, mal, ja, eben

German modal particles doch, mal, ja, and eben add attitude, not meaning. Before/after examples show how to use each one so your German stops sounding stiff.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

GermanNow

German Compound Words: How to Read Any Long Word

Read any long German word by working right-to-left: the last noun sets the meaning and gender, and the small linking letters are just glue. Here's the drill.

June 9, 2026 6 min read