cuina

Cuina is a Catalan noun meaning kitchen or cooking. In daily usage, la cuina refers to the room where food is prepared, and cuinar is the verb to cook. The term can also denote cuisine or the culinary tradition of a place, as in cuina catalana or cuina mediterrània.

Cuina derives from the Latin coquina, via Old Catalan forms; it is cognate with the Spanish cocina and the French cuisine, reflecting a common Romance heritage. The word is used primarily in Catalan-speaking regions, including Catalunya, the Balearic Islands, and the Valencian Community (where Valencian is a standard form of Catalan), as well as parts of Aragon. In these areas, cuina appears in everyday language, media, gastronomy writing, and education.

Catalan cuisine is the set of culinary practices associated with Catalan-speaking areas. It draws on Mediterranean ingredients such as olive oil, vegetables, legumes, fish and pork, and features both rustic home cooking and refined dishes. Traditional items include escudella i carn d’olla (a meat and vegetable soup/stew), suquet de peix (fish stew), pa amb tomàquet (bread brushed with tomato), and samfaina (stewed vegetables). There are regional variations between coastal and inland areas, and contemporary cuina also engages with modern techniques and global influences while preserving traditional flavors.