Is the empanada a pie? An empanada? It seems simple, but it isn't. Because when you try to define it, you understand that it's not just a dish: it's a world. On the Mediterranean islands —from the Balearics, with Mallorca and Menorca, to Sardinia— each place seems to know perfectly what an empanada is... until the discussion begins. From Palma to Maó, from Assemini, in southern Sardinia, to Cuglieri, in the province of Oristano, to Oschiri, in Gallura, each community defends theirs as the most authentic. And they are all right.

Catalan grammatical tradition has been quite consistent in describing these verbs. Thus, 'desayunar' (to have breakfast), 'desayuno' (breakfast), 'comida' (lunch), 'merienda' (snack), and 'cena' (dinner) have been classified as intransitive verbs, that is, verbs that do not take a direct object. To give concrete examples: according to this description, in Catalan we don't 'dinam canelons' (we eat cannelloni) or 'sopam pez' (we eat fish); what we do is 'comer canelones para comer' (to eat cannelloni for lunch) or 'comer pescado para cena' (to eat fish for dinner). The verb that introduces the food is 'comida' (food), while the verb 'de comida' (food) serves to indicate the time or type of food. In Mallorca, this structure also coexists with another very common solution: 'dinam de canelons' (I eat cannelloni), 'sopam de pescado' (I eat fish), with a complement introduced by the preposition 'de' (of). This construction allows us to specify the contents of the meal without it being a direct object, which also fits with the traditional classification of these verbs as intransitive. Contemporary grammatical norms maintain this line. The Catalan Language Grammar of the IEC (2016), in fact, states that these verbs "do not admit this transitive use under any circumstances." However, any speaker knows that real language does not always follow the boundaries drawn by grammars. In everyday conversation—and also in written texts—they can appear as 'What have you eaten?' or 'We had rice for dinner yesterday.' These are not isolated errors or slips of the tongue: they are part of the living use of the language. Transitive use

This transitive usage is, in fact, explicitly included in the Valencian Normative Dictionary, with examples such as 'Hoy comemos arroz al horno' (Today we're having baked rice). Given this, the interesting question is not whether these constructions exist (of course they do), but what real weight they carry within the Catalan system and how they can be explained from a descriptive point of view.

]]>

Who would eat a stew in summer? As soon as we write and pronounce its name, we already sweat. However, cold soups are the dish of the season: subtle, refreshing, and they have the ability to make use of ingredient scraps left in the kitchen from other prepared dishes. Soups are a sustainable resource: you have a piece of leek, an onion, and a pear, you help it with mineral water and a touch of perfume to enhance the flavors, and you have one ready to eat with a spoon. In this regard, chef Carme Ruscalleda proposes cooking four traditional soups, classics from local and international cuisine that will always be current and that, in turn, allow for personal experimentation, so that each person can finish them with their personal touch.

]]>