The Hirshon Gourmet Passover Chicken Frittata and Marbled Eggs – Quajado Pesach kon Guevos Haminados

Citizens! To My Jewish brothers and sisters who celebrate – chag Pesach sameach, aka Happy Passover holiday! Once again, as I do every year at this time, I have wrestled as Jacob did with the Angel – trying to come up with apropos Pesach recipes that go beyond the traditional. The majority of the United States Jews are Ashkenazi – and this year, I have instead chosen a Sephardi Jewish dish that offers embodies true flavor and the true history of a group of Jews that are far less well known than they deserve to be. Theirs is a cuisine that is – frankly – tastier than Ashkenazi (sorry, bubbie) and today, I bring you an ancient recipe for quajado (pronounced kwah-shah-doh, as this is Ladino).

What is Ladino, you ask? I’m glad you did, My most intellectually curious member of TFD Nation – now, allow the Wazir of Wisdom to illuminate your darkened mind with a chapter of Jewish linguistics that deserves to be as well known as the Ashkenazi analogue of Yiddish! More on that in a moment, but let us first characterize the Sephardi who use this language in the first place!

In the ethnic definition, a Sephardic Jew is one descended from the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula in the late 15th century, immediately prior to the issuance of the Alhambra Decree of 1492 by order of the Catholic Monarchs in Spain, and the decree of 1496 in Portugal by order of King Manuel I.

In Hebrew, the term “Sephardim Tehorim” (ספרדים טהורים‎, literally “Pure Sephardim”), derived from a misunderstanding of the initials ס”ט “Samekh Tet” traditionally used with some proper names (which stand for sofo tov, “may his end be good” or “sin v’tin”, “mire and mud” has in recent times been used in some quarters to distinguish Sephardim proper, “who trace their lineage back to the Iberian/Spanish population”, from Sephardim in the broader religious sense). This distinction has also been made in reference to 21st-century genetic findings in research on ‘Pure Sephardim’, in contrast to other communities of Jews today who are part of the broad classification of Sephardi.

Ethnic Sephardic Jews have had a presence in North Africa and various parts of the Mediterranean and Western Asia due to their expulsion from Spain. There have also been Sephardic communities in South America and India. Originally the Jews spoke of Sefarad referring to Al-Andalus and not the entire peninsula, nor as it is understood today, in which the term Sefarad is used in modern Hebrew to refer to Spain. This has caused a long misunderstanding, since traditionally the entire Iberian Diaspora has been included in a single group.

However, the historiographical research reveals that that word, seen as homogeneous, was actually divided into distinct groups: the Sephardim, coming from the countries of the Castilian crown, Castilian language speakers, and the Katalanim [ca] / Katalaní, originally from the Crown of Aragon, Judeo-Catalan speakers.

The modern Israeli Hebrew definition of Sephardi is a much broader, religious-based definition that generally excludes ethnic considerations. In its most basic form, this broad religious definition of a Sephardi refers to any Jew, of any ethnic background, who follows the customs and traditions of Sepharad. For religious purposes, and in modern Israel, “Sephardim” is most often used in this wider sense. It encompasses most non-Ashkenazi Jews who are not ethnically Sephardi, but are in most instances of West Asian or North African origin. They are classified as Sephardi because they commonly use a Sephardic style of liturgy; this constitutes a majority of Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) Jews in the 21st century.

The term Sephardi in the broad sense, also describes the nusach (Hebrew language, “liturgical tradition”) used by Sephardic Jews in their Siddur (prayer book). A nusach is defined by a liturgical tradition’s choice of prayers, order of prayers, text of prayers and melodies used in the singing of prayers. Sephardim traditionally pray using Minhag Sefarad. The term Nusach Sefard or Nusach Sfarad does not refer to the liturgy generally recited by Sephardim proper or even Sephardi in a broader sense, but rather to an alternative Eastern European liturgy used by many Hasidim, who are Ashkenazi.

Additionally, Ethiopian Jews, whose branch of practiced Judaism is known as Haymanot, have been included under the oversight of Israel’s already broad Sephardic Chief Rabbinate.

Now – as to Ladino, the lingua franca of most Sephardi Jews!

Judaeo-Spanish or Judeo-Spanish (Hebrew script: גֿודֿיאו-איספאנייול‎), also known as Ladino or Judezmo or Spaniolit, is a Romance language derived from Castilian Old Spanish natively spoken to this day by approximately 51,000 Jews as of 2018. This is similar as to how Yiddish is derived from German and became the lingua franca of Eastern European Jews and the native language of most Hassidic Jews throughout the world today.

Originally spoken in Spain, and then after the Edict of Expulsion spreading through the Ottoman Empire (the Balkans, Turkey, West Asia, and North Africa) as well as France, Italy, the Netherlands, Morocco, and England, it is today spoken mainly by Sephardic minorities in more than 30 countries, with most speakers residing in Israel. Although it has no official status in any country, it has been acknowledged as a minority language in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, and France. In 2017, it was formally recognized by the Royal Spanish Academy.

The core vocabulary of Judaeo-Spanish is Old Spanish, and it has numerous elements from the other old Romance languages of the Iberian Peninsula: Old Aragonese, Asturleonese, Old Catalan, Galician-Portuguese, and Andalusi Romance. The language has been further enriched by Ottoman Turkish and Semitic vocabulary, such as Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic—especially in the domains of religion, law, and spirituality—and most of the vocabulary for new and modern concepts has been adopted through French and Italian. Furthermore, the language is influenced to a lesser degree by other local languages of the Balkans, such as Greek, Bulgarian, and Serbo–Croatian.

Historically, the Rashi script and its cursive form Solitreo have been the main orthographies for writing Judaeo-Spanish. To illustrate, here is the name of today’s recipe in both fonts!

 

 

 

However, today Ladino is mainly written with the Latin alphabet, though some other alphabets such as Hebrew and Cyrillic are still in use. Judaeo-Spanish has been known also by other names, such as: Español (Espanyol, Spaniol, Spaniolish, Espanioliko), Judió (Judyo, Djudyo) or Jidió (Jidyo, Djidyo), Judesmo (Judezmo, Djudezmo), Sefaradhí (Sefaradi) or Ḥaketía (in North Africa). In Turkey, and formerly in the Ottoman Empire, it has been traditionally called Yahudice in Turkish, meaning the ‘Jewish language.’ In Israel, Hebrew speakers usually call the language Ladino, Espanyolit or Spanyolit.

Judaeo-Spanish, once the Jewish lingua franca of the Adriatic Sea, the Balkans, and the Middle East, and renowned for its rich literature, especially in Salonika, today is under serious threat of extinction. Most native speakers are elderly, and the language is not transmitted to their children or grandchildren for various reasons; consequently, all Judeo-Spanish-speaking communities are undergoing a language shift.

In 2018, four native speakers in Bosnia were identified however, two of them have since died, David Kamhi in 2021 and Moris Albahari in late 2022. In some expatriate communities in Spain, Latin America, and elsewhere, there is a threat of assimilation by modern Spanish. It is experiencing, however, a minor revival among Sephardic communities, especially in music. Efforts to make Ladino a vibrant language amongst the younger generations has been helped by singers who are reviving the language in Israel and elsewhere – here is a soul-stirring example!

Nani – Morenika Morenica Sephardic Ladino

 

The scholar Joseph Nehama, author of the comprehensive Judeo-Spanish–French dictionary, referred to the language as Judeo-Espagnol. The 1903 Hebrew–Judeo-Spanish Haggadah entitled “Seder Haggadah shel pesaḥ ʿim pitron be-lashon sefaradi” (סדר הגדה של פסח עם פתרון בלשון ספרדי), from the Sephardic community of Livorno, Italy, refers to the language used for explanation as the Sefaradi language. The rare Judeo-Spanish-language textbook entitled Nuevo Silibaryo Espanyol, published in Salonica in 1929, referred to the language as Espanyol and lingua Djudeo-Espanyola.

The language is also called Judeo-Espanyol, Judeoespañol, Sefardí, Judío, and Espanyol or Español sefardita; Haketia (from Arabic: حكى, romanized: ḥakà ‘tell’) refers to the dialect of North Africa, especially Morocco. Judeo-Spanish has also been referred to as Judesmo (also Judezmo, Djudesmo or Djudezmo). The dialect of the Oran area of Algeria was called Tetuani after the Moroccan city of Tétouan since many Orani Jews came from there. In Israel, the language is known as Spanyolit or Espanyolit. The names Djidio, Kasteyano Muestro, and Spanyol de mozotros have also been proposed to refer to the language; regional names to refer to the language include kastiyano viejo, sepharadit, ekseris romeka, yahudije, and musevije.

An entry in Ethnologue claims, “The name ‘Judesmo’ is used by Jewish linguists and Turkish Jews and American Jews; ‘Judeo-Spanish’ by Romance philologists; ‘Ladino’ by laymen, initially in Israel; ‘Haketia’ by Moroccan Jews; ‘Spanyol’ by some others.” That does not reflect the historical usage. In the Judaeo-Spanish press of the 19th and 20th centuries the native authors referred to the language almost exclusively as Espanyol, which was also the name that its native speakers spontaneously gave to it for as long as it was their primary spoken language. More rarely, the bookish Judeo-Espanyol has also been used since the late 19th century.

In recent decades in Israel, followed by the United States and Spain, the language has come to be referred to as Ladino (Ladino: לאדינו), literally meaning ‘Latin’. This name for the language was promoted by the Autoridad Nasionala del Ladino, although speakers of the language in Israel referred to their mother tongue as Espanyolit or Spanyolit. Native speakers of the language consider the name Ladino to be incorrect, having for centuries reserved the term for the “semi-sacred” language used in word-by-word translations from the Bible, which is distinct from the spoken vernacular.

According to linguist Paul Wexler, Ladino is a written language that developed in the eighteenth century and is distinct from spoken Judaeo-Spanish. According to the website of the Jewish Museum of Thessaloniki, the cultural center of Sephardic Judaism after the expulsion from Spain,

Ladino is not spoken, rather, it is the product of a word-for-word translation of Hebrew or Aramaic biblical or liturgical texts made by rabbis in the Jewish schools of Spain. In these translations, a specific Hebrew or Aramaic word always corresponded to the same Spanish word, as long as no exegetical considerations prevented this. In short, Ladino is only Hebrew clothed in Spanish, or Spanish with Hebrew syntax. The famous Ladino translation of the Bible, the Biblia de Ferrara (1553), provided inspiration for the translation of numerous Spanish Christian Bibles.

The derivation of the name Ladino is complicated. Before the expulsion of Jews from Spain, the word meant “literary Spanish” as opposed to other dialects,[citation needed] or “Romance” in general as distinct from Arabic. One derivation has Ladino as derived from the verb enladinar, meaning “to translate”, from when Jews, Christians and Arabs translated works from Hebrew, Greek, and Arabic into Spanish (during the times of Alfonso X). The first European language grammar and dictionary, of Spanish referred to it as ladino or ladina.

In the Middle Ages, the word Latin was frequently used to mean simply ‘language’, particularly one understood: a latiner or latimer meant a translator.) Following the Expulsion, Jews spoke of “the Ladino” to mean the word-for-word translation of the Bible into Old Spanish. By extension, it came to mean that style of Spanish generally in the same way that (among Kurdish Jews) Targum has come to mean Judeo-Aramaic and (among Jews of Arabic-speaking background) sharḥ has come to mean Judeo-Arabic.

Judaeo-Spanish Ladino should not be confused with the Ladin language (Italian: ladino), spoken in part of Northeastern Italy. Ladin has nothing to do with Jews or with Spanish beyond being a Romance language, a property that it shares with French, Italian, Portuguese and Romanian.

At the time of the expulsion from Spain, the day-to-day language of the Jews of different regions of the peninsula was hardly, if at all, different from that of their Christian neighbours, but there may have been some dialect mixing to form a sort of Jewish lingua franca. There was, however, a special style of Spanish used for purposes of study or translation, featuring a more archaic dialect, a large number of Hebrew and Aramaic loanwords and a tendency to render Hebrew word order literally (ha-laylah ha-zeh, meaning ‘this night’, was rendered la noche la esta instead of the normal Spanish esta noche). As mentioned above, authorities confine the term Ladino to that style.

Following the Expulsion, the process of dialect mixing continued, but Castilian Spanish remained by far the largest contributor. The daily language was increasingly influenced both by the language of study and by the local non-Jewish vernaculars, such as Greek and Turkish. It came to be known as Judesmo and, in that respect, the development is parallel to that of Yiddish. However, many speakers, especially among the community leaders, also had command of a more formal style, castellano, which was nearer to the Spanish at the time of the Expulsion.

The grammar, the phonology, and about 60% of the vocabulary of Judaeo-Spanish is essentially Spanish but, in some respects, it resembles the dialects in southern Spain and South America, rather than the dialects of Central Spain. For example, it has yeísmo (“she” is eya/ella [ˈeja] (Judaeo-Spanish), instead of ella) as well as seseo. In many respects, it reproduces the Spanish of the time of the Expulsion, rather than the modern variety, as it retains some archaic features such as the following:

Like other Jewish vernaculars, Judaeo-Spanish incorporates many Hebrew and Aramaic words, mostly for religious concepts and institutions. Examples are haham/ḥaḥam (‘rabbi’, from Hebrew ḥakham) and kal, kahal/cal, cahal (‘synagogue’, from Hebrew qahal). Some Judeao-Spanish words of Hebrew or Aramaic origins have more poetic connotations than their Spanish origin equivalents. Compare gaava (‘pride, arrogance’) from Hebrew ga’avá with arrogansya (‘arrogance’) from Spanish arrogancia.

The majority of Judaeo-Spanish speaking people resided in the Ottoman Empire, although a large minority on the northern Coast of Morocco and Algeria existed. As such, words of Turkish origin were incorporated into the local dialect of the language. Examples include emrenear (‘rejoice’) from Turkish imrenmek. Some of these words themselves were inherited into Turkish from Arabic or Persian. Examples include bilbiliko (‘nightingale’), from Persian (via Turkish) bülbül and gam (‘sorrow, anxiety, grief’) from Arabic (via Persian then Turkish) ḡamm.

Due to the influence of the Alliance Israélite Universelle in the westernization and modernization of Judeao-Spanish speaking communities, many words of French origin were adopted. Most of these words refer to Western European innovations and introductions. Examples include: abazur (‘lampshade’), from French abat-jour, fardate (‘apply makeup’), from French se farder, and fusil (‘gun’) from French fusil. Some French political and cultural elements are present in Judeao-Spanish. For example, ir al Bismark (‘to go to the Bismark’) was a phrase used in some Judeao-Spanish communities in the late 20th century to mean ‘to go to the restroom’, referring to the German Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck (an unpopular figure in France), as a euphemism for toilet.

Due to the large number of Arabic words in Spanish generally, it is not always clear whether some of these words were introduced before the Expulsion or adopted later; modern Spanish replaced some of these loans with Latinisms after the Reconquista, where Judaeo-Spanish speakers had no motivation to do so. Some Arabic words were borrowed via Turkish or Persian. Haketia, the variety of Judaeo-Spanish spoken in the Maghreb, has substantial influence from Moroccan and Algerian Arabic, as well as local Amazigh languages. The varieties of Judaeo-Spanish spoken in the Levant and Egypt have some influence from Levantine Arabic and Egyptian Arabic respectively.

Judeao-Spanish speaking communities often incorporated words or phrases from surrounding languages. Greek, South Slavic, Italian, and Romanian borrowings can be found in those respective communities.

Now – with that important background and understanding of Sepharfi Jews and Ladino out of the way, let us dive into today’s recipe for quajado! 😀 This simple combination of eggs, vegetables, and cheese, creates a signature dish of Sephardic cuisine that in which vegetables take center stage. Quajado was originally prepared by cooking the mixture in a skillet over a fire and was known as a fritada. The dish was prepared this way until relatively recently, once it became common to have an oven in one’s home.

The baked version of the dish became known as quajado, meaning “coagulated” in Ladino. Quajado became so important to the culinary traditions of the Sephardic Jewish community that its preparation during the Spanish Inquisition was considered a sign that one was practicing Judaism, and could lead to imprisonment.

What makes a quajado different from a frittata is that it contains less egg and more vegetables and cheese. Vegetables that are frequently used in this dish include spinach, zucchini, eggplant, leek and tomato. The addition of soft cheese helps to impart creaminess, while the hard cheese provides saltiness. During Passover, soaked crumbled matzoh can be added as a substitute for breadcrumbs.

My version of quajado incorporates flavor elements from all over the Sephardic diaspora, including North Africa and the Middle East – making this a WAY more flavorful main dish than the usual brisket (although My Yiddish-style Brisket is superb!) and fairly flavorless sides. No, a Sephardic Pesach (Passover) Seder is filled with dazzling spices and flavors that sing across the harmonics of your palate!

Quajado is usually made with a whole chicken, though I prefer to make it with all breast meat – the breasts are bone and skin on for maximum flavor! I have heretically included a respectful nod to India and the Indian Jews (yes, they exist!) with My use of mustard oil to add a potent, horseradish-like bite to the skin! Please only use this brand of mustard oil, as others are intended only for topical use and are NOT safe to ingest! I recognize this isn’t cheap, but a little goes a LONG way and it will become a new favorite in many recipes!

My quajado recipe also calls for the famed Moroccan preserved lemons, which you can easily buy from here. I also greatly enjoy the sweet and spicy heat of peppadew peppers from the jar, although they also are not traditional – this is a good brand. Portuguese Piri Piri hot sauce adds some serious spice, and this is a brand I am quite fond of – be careful, this has real heat! Knorr Aromat is always My go-to choice for salt, as it adds umami as well as salinity – this is My preferred European version of it.

Serving marbled eggs is traditional as a side with quajado, and Mine is especially unique by My use of marbling marinade and exotic seasonings! Traditionally, huevos haminados is colored soaking lightly-cracked eggs in a solution of water and coffee grounds. Since I loathe coffee, My version calls instead for smoky Silk Road lapsang souchon tea (buy it from here) and Chinese pu’erh tea (buy it from here). I also add in some Kitchen Bouquet to add additional dark color and savor – grab it from here.

Again with My eyes firmly locked to the East, I choose some Indian, Middle Eastern and Chinese spices to flavor the eggs, including Kalonji seeds (buy from here) and Chilies de Arbol (buy here)-  the others are readily available in your local market.

Both quajado and huevos haminados are absolutely delicious additions to your Pesach Seder meal, and I hope you see fit to try them both at this Passover or the next or even just as an unusual main dish any time! Quajado is a great way to also use up leftover matzo from Passover, btw!

Battle on – the Generalissimo

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