Rechefta de Borekas de Patata de Rachel Shemarya
Recipe for Potato Borekas by Rachel Shemarya

Introduction

From Borekas and the flavor of Rhodes: Paradise lost, recipe saved, by Ty Alhadeff:

"Every Sephardic cookbook includes a recipe for borekas, or burekas, but there is none quite like the one written down by Rachel (née Capelouto) Shemarya. A native of Rhodes, Rachel carried on the culinary traditions of her island here in the Pacific Northwest, where she recorded her own recipe for borecas di patata in her native Judeo-Spanish. For the first time, her Borecas di Patata recipe is available online at the Sephardic Studies Digital Library for all to try out for themselves. Her recipe is special not only because it is the only one in the Sephardic Studies Digital Library, but also because it offers a rare look into the lives of Sephardic women whose experiences often escape the written record."

Commentary about the language of the recipe
Written by Ty Alhadeff

"The language that Rachel used to record her recipe deeply reflects her cultural background and the specificities of the Rhodes dialect of Judeo-Spanish. It indicates that she could write in Judeo-Spanish and knew the Latin alphabet, evidence of her French education; in fact, she would have been among the first generations of Ottoman-born Jewish women to receive such a European-style education, usually at Alliance Israélite Schools.  One of the identifying features of Judeo-Spanish from Rhodes is the tendency to engage in a phenomenon that linguists refer to as “vowel raising.” This means that instead of saying borekas de patata, as someone from Istanbul might say, those from Rhodes would say di patata. 

Also note that the recipe cannot fully be followed without the help of its author or someone else “in the know.” What does the reference to “half a kiddush cup [filled with] oil” really mean? How big is said kiddush cup supposed to be? Or does it refer to the traditional requirement for a kiddush cup–a revi’it (about 4 1/2 ounces, half of which would be about 2 1/4 ounces)? Or perhaps it was the specific kiddush cup used in the Shemarya household? Or something else? And what are we to make of the inclusion of marcherin (margarine), which is a nineteenth-century French invention that clearly was not part of a traditional boreka recipe for centuries? 

Most illusory is the seemingly simple phrase: elas azis (“make them”). But, once the little balls of dough have been flattened and filled with potato, how to actually “make” them into borekas? How to fold the dough, pinch the edges, and actually create the borekas? What is the technique to be employed? Those details remain shrouded in mystery and accomplished, one presumes, only by recalling from memory or observation the precise way to form and shape the borekas . 

The absence of specifics shows us that the recipe was not intended for the general public or for those completely unfamiliar with the dish. The recipe was indeed addressed to someone specific, to mi alma, “my dear.” The family recalls that “my dear” was one of Rachel’s sons, Jerry. The significance is therefore even more noteworthy for the recipe not only represents the recording of the culinary tradition into the written record, but also its transfer from the traditionally female domain to one in which men could also participate. Our publication of the recipe further signifies its entrance into the digital public sphere."