Sarah Aroeste is reshaping Hanukkah music with her Sephardic roots. We don’t hear enough music in the Sephardic language Ladino. But thankfully, Aroeste (a Jewish mom of two) came out with her new bilingual Ladino/English holiday album, Together/Endjuntos, just in time for the Hanukkah. What a gift.
In particular, she wrote “Bimuelo,” one of the tracks on the album, about Hanukkah. So, what does that mean? We’ll give you a hint: It’s deep-fried and super-sweet. (We’re totally in!) According to Aroeste, bimuelo is “the delicious Sephardic dessert that no one has heard of,” and added that she wants “people to know that Hanukkah isn’t just about latkes and donuts!” (More on that, plus recipes, are here.)
What makes it even better? Rapper Kosha Dillz makes an appearance on the song, which focuses on bonding through food. All cultures do this, and so much of how we learn about our own family histories are through our recipes.
You can check out the song below (and read an interview we did with Aroeste here):
