Tradition also nourishes health: the nutritional value of Catalan cuisine

A pot simmering gently, a sofrito filling the kitchen with its aroma, or a salad made with seasonal produce. Beyond being a symbol of culture and identity, Catalan cuisine is healthy: balanced, varied, and rooted in the principles of the Mediterranean diet. "It's very complete because it combines vegetables, legumes, grains, fish, meat, and olive oil," explains Mar Gassó, a dietitian and nutritionist at the Barcelona Diabetes & Endocrine Institute (IBADE), to ARA.

According to Gassó, Catalan cuisine is, in essence, a healthy cuisine. "It has a clearly Mediterranean base, with a strong presence of plant-based foods—vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and nuts—and with extra virgin olive oil as the star," he explains. He also highlights the balanced combination of plant and animal proteins, the regular inclusion of oily fish and shellfish, and the use of techniques such as sofrito, stewing, and grilling, which help preserve nutrients. "It's a cuisine that understands meals as a shared experience, with time to spare, both for cooking and at the table, which fosters a more mindful and healthy relationship with food," he adds.

However, like any dietary model, it also has its weaknesses. "The frequent consumption of fatty meats or processed meats, the high salt content in some dishes, and the tendency to reduce the time we spend cooking or buying fresh produce can diminish nutritional quality," warns Gassó. She also points out that some festive or subsistence dishes, such as stews and roasts, can be too high in calories for today's more sedentary lifestyles. The challenge, therefore, is to adapt traditional cuisine to modern times without losing its essence.

Recovering this culinary heritage also means recovering values that are key to healthy and sustainable eating today. It means dedicating time to cooking, sitting down at the table, sharing meals, and enjoying them mindfully. "Ultimately," the nutritionist summarizes, "eating well is also about taking care of ourselves, taking care of others, and taking care of the environment."

A Mediterranean cuisine with values

Catalan cuisine fits naturally into the Mediterranean diet, at least as long as its essence is maintained. According to the expert, the current pace of life and the rise of ultra-processed foods threaten this balance. "We often believe we are protected by the umbrella of the Mediterranean diet, but our habits are increasingly diverging from it," she warns. Lunch in ten minutes between meetings, reinterpreting traditional dishes by adding excessive fats, salt, or sugar, or replacing fresh foods with quick, processed options all contribute to the loss of their original nutritional value.

This growing shift away from traditional cuisine not only implies a nutritional loss, but also a cultural and emotional disconnection from what we eat. Toni Massanés, director of the Alícia Foundation, champions traditional cuisine as a powerful tool to reverse this trend. At a time when eating has become increasingly detached from the land, the seasons, and shared time, Massanés advocates for a cuisine "that has meaning, that represents us, and that nourishes us." Reconnecting, he says, is also a way to put people—and not just products—back at the heart of the food system.

Ultimately, preserving and adapting traditional Catalan cuisine isn't just a matter of taste or nostalgia: it's a commitment to a more deeply rooted, conscious, and humane way of eating. For Massanés, returning to the stove means returning to common sense in food: cooking with what we have on hand, eating slowly, and valuing humble produce. "Cooking is accumulated collective knowledge that can help us eat better today," she argues. And, above all, it's a way of caring for the land, the people with whom we share our meals, and ourselves.