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Home » Podcast Episodes » Western European Heritage

154 Savor! An Interactive Celebration of Sephardic Culture Through Food & Music

Last Modified: Apr 4, 2024 · This post may contain affiliate links

Honored to welcome two special guests to the podcast today: musician Sarah Aroeste and chef Susan Barocas. They share unique connections as Sephardic Jews with roots tracing back to a large, influential, and ancient Macedonian town. Sadly, during the Holocaust, nearly the entire population of that town was lost - a shocking 98%, in fact.

Both Sarah and Susan are passionate about preserving Sephardic culture. As enthusiastic researchers, they delve deep into historical records, oral traditions, and stories. Together, they're on a mission to curate and share this rich heritage with all of us.

But what makes their "Savor! project unique and truly remarkable is how they express this shared passion differently.

The "Savor" experience is, in part, a music album filled of Sephardic songs about food, sung in the Ladino language. It's also a collection of recipes that go hand in hand with each song. Plus, Susan and Sarah have created videos featuring female chefs demonstrating these recipes, all while discussing their personal connection to food and Sephardic culture.

As we approach the Jewish High Holy Days, I’m thrilled to have Sarah and Susan here to discuss Sephardic history and heritage. As you’ll hear, they teach me so much, not only about Sephardic culture, but also about the profound role of food and music in preserving heritage, tradition, history, values, and stories.

Highlights

  • A concept album: How the Savor project of pairing Sephardic recipes & songs began 
  • Sarah and Susan’s shared heritage in Bitola (formerly Monastir) in Northern Macedonia, where 98% of the town was exterminated in the Holocaust
  • The distinctions among Jews (Sephardic vs. Ashkenazi) are a modern construction
  • When & how did the lineages and stories of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews 
  • How the geography, language (Ladino), and music of the Sephardics developed
  • The core elements of liturgy and customs that unite all Jews
  • The effects of the multi-century Spanish Inquisition on the entire Jewish populations, especially Sephardic Jews
  • The Holocaust was deadly for Sephardic Jews as well
  • Sarah’s story: “Music was my life.” How Sarah pivoted from classical opera to performing as a Ladino singer.
  • How did Sarah and her mentor uncovered and created Ladino music
  • No such thing as “authentic” or “traditional” Sephardic music or recipes
  • Sopa de Ajo: Allium Soap - Why Sarah chose it
  • Alliums and the Inquisition
  • Susan’s story: Her father as teacher
  • How Sephardic cooking spread to and melded with the rest of the world’s cuisine
  • How to prepare garlic until it’s “mellow, sweet, and flavorful”
  • Susan’s tips for preparing leeks

Listen to Sarah and Susan Now

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Learn More About the SAVOR Experience!

Website: www.savorexperience.com

Intro to The Savor Experience on YouTube

Susan's Storied Recipe: Sopa de Ajo

Sopa de Ajo: Healing Garlic Green Soup for a Cold

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Welcome, Friend!

I’m Becky Hadeed, a mother to 4, curious home cook, lover of extraordinary light, and host of The Storied Recipe Podcast. I consider it a great honor that my guests entrust me with their stories and allow me photograph and share their most treasured family recipes.

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dark and moody photo of Becky Hadeed kneading arepas dough

Welcome, Friend!

I’m Becky Hadeed, a mother to 4, curious home cook, lover of extraordinary light, and host of The Storied Recipe Podcast. I consider it a great honor that my guests entrust me with their stories and allow me photograph and share their most treasured family recipes.

More About Me ->

Most Popular Recipes

  • two slices of chewy golden nian gao on pink plate
    Baked Nian Gao: Glutinous Rice Cake (with Sticky Rice Flour)
  • hand holds flaky spiraled roti paratha (aka roti canai in malaysia) above lush green foliage.
    How to Make Flaky Roti Paratha (Malaysian Roti Canai)
  • pollo frito puerto rican fried chicken with no flour in basket lined with red checked napkin
    Pollo Frito: Puerto Rican Fried Chicken (Without Flour)
  • delicate white dish holds fish cooked in tomato sauce, topped with gently caramelized onons, dill and parsley
    Ukrainian Red Fish in Tomato Sauce

Follow in Your Favorite Player

Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Podcasts

Listen to the Latest

Featured Episodes

  • 058 "I Wanted Something Different" with Juan Salazar of La Coop Coffee
  • 022 "I am Piotr's Granddaughter" with Lydia Cottrell
  • 019 "We Were Not Leprosy" with Suwanee Lennon
  • 077 Arabic Feasts with My Husband, John Hadeed
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