Cooklang is a simple, human-readable text format and markup language designed for writing recipes that can be understood by both humans and computers. It allows users to maintain full ownership of their recipes in plain text files while benefiting from automated digital features.

The principal functionalities of this tool include:

1. Human-Readable Markup

• Plain Text Syntax: Users write recipes in standard text files using simple notations, such as @flour{2%cups} for ingredients and ~{25%minutes} for timers.

• Automatic Parsing: This format allows computers to automatically generate shopping lists, calculate scaling, and format recipes beautifully.

• Recipe Dependencies: Advanced users can reference other recipes as ingredients, allowing for the creation of complex meals from various base components.

2. Complete Ecosystem of Tools

• Multi-Platform Apps: The ecosystem includes native mobile apps for iOS and Android, as well as a self-hosted Web Server for accessing recipes from any device on a local network.

• Command Line Interface (CLI): A powerful CLI tool is available to parse recipes, automate cooking workflows, and manage shopping lists.

• Editor Support: Cooklang provides syntax highlighting and snippets for popular code editors, including VS Code, Sublime, Vim, and Emacs.

3. Advanced Recipe Management

• Dynamic Scaling: Recipes can be automatically scaled for any party size while intelligently keeping fixed quantities (like salt) unchanged.

• Version Control: Because recipes are stored as plain text, users can use Git to track the evolution of their recipes, collaborate with others, and fork variations of dishes.

• Menu and Meal Planning: Tools are provided to plan entire weeks of meals and compile comprehensive shopping lists directly from those plans.

4. Production and Portability

• Cookbook Creation: The system can generate professional PDFs, LaTeX documents, and printable recipe cards from a collection.

• Universal Import: Users can import recipes from hundreds of websites and automatically convert them into the Cooklang format.

• Offline and Open Source: The tool works entirely offline and is open-source, with a growing community contributing parsers and integrations in many programming languages.

5. Modern AI and Search Features

• Cookbot AI Assistant: An integrated AI assistant helps users manage recipes, create meal plans, convert units, and improve cooking instructions.

• Recipe Discovery: A federated search platform allows users to discover tried-and-true recipes shared by the wider Cooklang community.