I created Boka Dulse as a space where I could combine my academic research interests with my lifelong passion for cooking. I wanted to share and explore food history and culture in a new, more accessible way: by writing about recipes from cultures all over the world and revamping them for the modern cook’s kitchen. The food we eat tells a story about who we are and I wanted to create a blog that would convey that narrative through both words and tastes.

The name Boka Dulse comes from the Ladino saying “boka dulse avre puertas de fierro [sweet words open iron gates]” (Ladino is the language of the Ottoman Sephardic Jews, you can read more about it here). This saying represents what I feel are the most important aspects of this blog (which I talk about here), and of food more generally – particularly its connective power. It’s perhaps overly idealistic, but I believe that coming together to share food – especially since our food so closely represents who we are – can help us relate to each other more easily (and deliciously).

As I explain in my first post, the name also refers to the research I’ve been for the past few years on the cuisine and culture of the Sephardic Jews (explanation of who they are here). The recipes on this blog aren’t limited to Sephardic recipes though; here you’ll find dishes, flavors, and stories from all over the world. In every post, I’ll reconstruct the story of each dish and include the recipe – so you can simultaneously read about and taste these foods at the same time.

If you’d like to learn more about my research, you can check that out here.

All the photos on my website were take by me; I also created the logo and title of this site. If you want to use any of these photos/images, please get in touch with me first about their use. Thanks!

Currently, I am back living in Connecticut after a year in Madrid on a Fulbright grant. 

As a Fulbrighter, I researched the culinary heritage and cultural identity of the Sephardic Jews in Spain before 1492. I was associated with the Centro de Ciencias Humanas y Sociales (see more here) of the Spanish Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC, see here for more info). For information on how/where/why to travel to Madrid and other cities and towns around Spain, see this page.

Any comments, questions, suggested readings/ingredients/recipes, or is there a dish you wish you knew the history of? I’d love to hear from you! You can send me an email at:

bokadulse [at] gmail (dot) com

or reach me at the contact form below.

Thanks for reading - so happy to have you here!

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