Kuchen

See also: kuchen, Küchen, and küchen-

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkuːxən/, [ˈkuːxən], [ˈkuːxn̩]

• audio (Germany):

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• audio (Austria):

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Etymology 1

From Middle High German kuoche, from Old High German kuohho, from Proto-Germanic *kōkô. Compare Dutch koek.

Noun

Kuchen m (genitive Kuchens, plural Kuchen, diminutive Küchlein n or Küchelchen n)

1. pie; cake; tart (foodstuff made of baked dough, other than bread)

Usage notes

• Kuchen can refer to almost any foodstuff that it is made of dough (of any kind), baked in a pan or oven, and considered fit for consumption by itself (unlike bread). Which sorts are in fact called Kuchen and which are not, is mainly a matter of tradition, for which no clear rule can be given. For example, Pizza is not included in the term, unlike the rather similar Zwiebelkuchen (“onion tart”) and Flammkuchen. And while most Kuchen have pieces cut from them, the northern German Schmalzkuchen are bite-sized. Similarly, most Kuchen are made of flour, but Reibekuchen are made of potatoes.
• All that said, the prototypical Kuchen is a fairly large, sweet pastry similar to the English cake.

Related terms

• Apfelkuchen
• Aschenkuchen
• Baumkuchen
• Blechkuchen
• Döppekuchen
• Eierkuchen
• Flammkuchen
• Fleischkuchen
• Gemüsekuchen
• Käsekuchen
• Kirschkuchen
• Kuchenform
• Mohnkuchen
• Mutterkuchen
• Napfkuchen
• Obstkuchen
• Pfannkuchen
• Pflaumenkuchen
• Reibekuchen
• Rosinenkuchen
• Schmalzkuchen
• Speckkuchen
• Spießkuchen
• Zwiebelkuchen

 

Descendants

• → English: kuchen
• → Portuguese: cuca, cuque
• → Spanish: kuchen

See also

• Keks
• Torte (cream-based cake)
• kochen

Etymology 2

Proper noun

Kuchen n (proper noun, strong, genitive Kuchens)

1. A town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

Further reading

• “Kuchen” in Duden online

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Luxembourgish

Noun

Kuchen

1. plural of Kuch