Chremslach, C-h-r-e-m-s-l-a-c-h

In 1994, some genius at ESPN believed the sports media giant should start to broadcast the national spelling bee, likely because it’s an alluring mix: nervous, smart kids whose skills exist at a level well beyond their years (and who doesn’t want to advertise during that smorgasbord?). ESPN has been broadcasting the event for more than 20 years now; this year, one Yiddish word played a big role in final round, which concluded last week: chremslach.

When challenged to spell this Yiddish gem, Jairam Hathwar, a 13-year-old finalist from Upstate New York, nailed it. He ended up sharing the title with Nihar Janga, an 11-year-old from Austin, Texas; it’s the third year in a row the title has been shared.

#speller152 Jairam Hathwar spelled the word ‘chremslach’ (flat fried cakes) correctly #spellingbee



— NationalSpellingBee (@ScrippsBee) May 27, 2016

Doesn’t that hit your ears just right? Chremslach. Chremslach. It sounds like some fried sort of fried matzah pancake snack, which is exactly what it is, and exactly what you ought to cook this week. Here’s a guide to cooking trans-Siberian versions of them, brought to you by Joan Nathan, whose recipes will change your life.

This is not, according to JTA, the first time Yiddish has played a key role in the contest—kneidel, hesped, kichel, and hechsher have all been front and center.

Oh, and Hathwar and Janga? They each took home $40,000, which is a nice amount of money. Maybe they’ll invest it in Amazon stock. Maybe they’ll put it into a college fund. Maybe they’ll each buy a white Ford Mustang convertible they can drive to school when they come of driving age, which is also a good choice.

In any case, perhaps the best part of the entire spelling bee was the winners’ sportsmanship, which is something you cannot teach, and something we don’t see enough of these days. Long live sportsmanship and mutual respect for your fellow Yiddish-spelling champ.