{{Short description|Stuffed dishes in Middle Eastern cuisine}} {{Other uses|Dolma (disambiguation)}} {{pp-extended|small=yes}} {{Infobox food | name = Dolma | image = 250px | caption = Whole stuffed pepper and tomato dolma | country = Ottoman Empire<ref name="Marks" /> | region = Eastern Mediterranean, Balkans,<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9buoQolfPD8C&dq=balkans+dolma&pg=PA101 | title=Balkan Blues: Writing Out of Yugoslavia | isbn=9780810113251 | last1=Labon | first1=Joanna | year=1995 |publisher=Northwestern University Press}}</ref> Anatolia, Levant, Middle East, South Caucasus, North Africa, Central Asia, Europe | course = Appetizer or main dish | served = Hot, cold, or room temperature | main_ingredient = Minced meat, rice | variations = Vegetables, leaves, seafood, fruits, meats, offal }} {{Infobox intangible heritage | ICH = Dolma making and sharing tradition, a marker of cultural identity | State Party = Azerbaijan | ID = 01188 | Year = 2017 | Region = ENA | Session = 12th | List = Representative }}
'''Dolma''' is a family of stuffed dishes largely associated with Ottoman cuisine. It mainly includes vegetables and leaves, and occasionally seafood, offal, fruits, and meats, that are hollowed out or wrapped, then filled with a mixture of rice, minced meat, herbs, and spices. The leaf-wrapped type can be specifically known as ''sarma'', but colloquially dolma is used for both.<ref name= "Marks" />
Dolma is a staple food across the modern cuisines of regions and nations that once were part of the Ottoman Empire.<ref name="Marks2">{{cite book |last1=Marks|first1=Gil|title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food|date=2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|page=529|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC&pg=PT529&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref><ref name="Davidson2">{{cite book |last1=Davidson|first1=Alan|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|date=1999|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-211579-9|page=253|url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000davi_g3y4/page/252/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name="Roden2">{{cite book |last1=Roden|first1=Claudia|title=A Book of Middle Eastern Food|date=1974|publisher=Vintage Books|location=New York|pages=298-299|url=https://archive.org/details/bookofmiddleeast00rode/page/298/mode/2up}}</ref>
==Etymology and terminology== The word ''dolma'' is of Turkish origin and means "something stuffed" or "filled".<ref>{{Cite book|publisher = Oxford University Press|isbn = 978-0-19-964024-9|last = Ayto|first = John|title = The Diner's Dictionary|chapter = Dolmades|access-date = 2018-06-29|date = 2013|chapter-url = http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199640249.001.0001/acref-9780199640249-e-421|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180630140424/http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199640249.001.0001/acref-9780199640249-e-421|archive-date = 2018-06-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Dolma |website=Merriam Webster |date=25 July 2024 |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dolma}}</ref> It derives from the verb ''dolmak'' ("to get filled or stuffed"),<ref name= "Marks" /> which itself ultimately derives from the Old Turkic ''tolmak''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Çağbayır |first1=Yaşar |title=Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük 5 Cilt |date=2017 |publisher=Ötüken Neşriyat |location=Istanbul |page=1269 |url=https://archive.org/details/OtukenTurkceSozluk/page/1269/mode/1up}}</ref> Gerard Clauson identifies the verbal root ''tol-'' ("to be filled, or full") as widely attested in pre-thirteenth-century Turkic texts and as surviving across the modern Turkic languages with similar meanings.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clauson |first1=Gerard |title=An Etymological Dictionary of Pre-Thirteenth-Century Turkish |date=1972 |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |page=491 |url=https://archive.org/details/etymologicaldict0000clau/page/491/mode/1up}}</ref>
One of the earliest attestations of the word ''dolma'' appears in ''Thesaurus Linguarum Orientalium, Turcicæ, Arabicæ, Persicæ'' (1680) by Franciscus a Mesgnien Meninski, where the Ottoman Turkish word {{lang|ota|طولمه}} (''dolma'') is recorded with the Latin definition ''ripieno'' ("stuffed" or "filled").<ref>{{cite book |last1=Meninski |first1=Franciszek à Mesgnien |title=Thesaurus Linguarum Orientalium Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, Praecipuas earum opes a Turcis peculariter usurpatas continens: Nimirum Lexicon Turcico-Arabico-Persicum |date=1680 |location=Vienna |page=3153 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=O8NIAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA3153&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q&f=true}}</ref> The earliest written mention of ''dolma'' in English dates to the late 19th century, appearing in James William Redhouse’s ''A Turkish and English Lexicon'' (1890), which defines it as "an act of filling" and "a dish of meat, fruit, or vegetable, filled with rice, forcemeat, etc."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Redhouse |first1=James William |title=A Turkish and English Lexicon |date=1890 |publisher=A. H. Boyajian |location=Constantinople |pages=1261-1262 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mms7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1261&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref>
In addition to modern Turkish, ''dolma'' is the standard spelling in Azerbaijani and the romanization of the Western Armenian spelling դոլմա, which in Eastern Armenian is տոլմա (''tolma''). Related forms in other languages include {{langx|el|ντολμάς}} (''ntolmás''), {{langx|ar|ضُلْمَة}} (''ḍulma''), Persian ''dolmeh'', {{langx|ka|ტოლმა}} (''ṭolma''), {{langx|tt|тулма}} (''tulma''), Turkmen ''dolâma'', and Swedish ''dolme''.<ref name="Davidson" />
In Turkey, a distinction is made between ''dolma'' ("stuffed thing"), referring to hollowed vegetables filled with a stuffing, and ''sarma'' ("rolled/wrapped thing"), in which the filling is wrapped in edible leaves such as vine leaves or cabbage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Şengelen |first=Özge |date=2022-12-27 |title=Turkish stuffed delight: 8 different delicious flavors |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/life/food/turkish-stuffed-delight-8-different-delicious-flavors |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=Daily Sabah |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name= "Davidson" /> In other languages from former Ottoman territories and beyond, these distinctions often overlap, where ''dolma'' is used more broadly, including for wrapped leaves that would be classified as ''sarma'' in Turkish.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dogan |first1=Yunus |last2=Nedelcheva |first2=Anely |last3=Luczaj |first3=Lukasz |last4=Dragulescu |first4=Constantin |last5=Stefkov |first5=Gjoshe |last6=Maglajlic |first6=Aida |last7=Ferrier |first7=Jonathan |last8=Papp |first8=Nora |last9=Hajdari |first9=Behxhet |last10=Dajic-Stevanovic |first10=Zora |last11=Pieroni |first11=Andrea |title=Of the importance of a leaf: the ethnobotany of sarma in Turkey and the Balkans |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |date=2015 |volume=11 |issue=26 |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4428097/}}</ref> In some post-Ottoman countries, dolma is referred to by a native term meaning "stuffed", such as γεμιστά (''gemista'') in Greek, {{langx|ar|محشي}} (''maḥshī'') in Arabic, ''umpluți'' in Romanian, ''töltött'' in Hungarian, ''punjena'' in Serbo-Croatian, ''mbushur'' in Albanian, ''polneti'' in Macedonian, ''pulneni'' in Bulgarian, ''memulah'' in Hebrew, and ''rellenada'' in Judeo-Spanish.<ref name="Marks" /> In Arabic-speaking countries, native names are often blended with Turkish terms, such as ''maḥshī yabraq'' or ''maḥshī brag'' in Syrian and Kuwaiti Arabic, a combination of the Turkish word ''yaprak'' ("leaf") and the Arabic ''maḥshī'' ("stuffed").<ref name= "Davidson" />
In Armenia, a wild grapevine can be found, called ''toli'' in Armenian, the name of which is derived from the Urartian word ''uduli'', meaning "grape" or "vine".<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Vardanyan|editor1-first=L. M.|editor2-last=Sarksyan|editor2-first=G. S.|editor3-last=Ter-Sarkisyants|editor3-first=A. E.|title=Armenians|publisher=Nauka|location=Moscow|year=2012|series=Peoples and Cultures|isbn=978-5-02-037563-5|language=ru}}</ref><ref name="piruzyan">{{cite book|title=Հայկական ճաշեր, Армянская кулинария|trans-title=Armenian cuisine|date=1960|author-first=Aram|author-last=S. Piruzyan|author-link=Aram Piruzyan|location=Moscow, USSR|publisher=Gostorgizdat|page=21|quote=}}</ref> Like in the other languages, the etymology of the Armenian ''dolma'' or ''tolma'' is borrowed from Ottoman Turkish<ref>{{Cite web |title=տոլմա in Armenian |url=https://kaikki.org/dictionary/Armenian/meaning/%D5%BF/%D5%BF%D5%B8/%D5%BF%D5%B8%D5%AC%D5%B4%D5%A1.html? |access-date=2026-02-25 |website=kaikki.org}}</ref> and it is additionally influenced by the old root ''toli''.<ref name="PMC11780856">{{cite journal|last1=Balant|first1=Manica|last2=Garnatje|first2=Teresa|last3=Vitales|first3=Daniel|last4=Oganesian|first4=Marine |last5=Vallès|first5=Joan|last6=Stepanyan‑Gandilyan|first6=Nina|last7=Gras|first7=Airy|title=Bridging past and present: exploring Cannabis traditions in Armenia through ethnobotanical interviews and bibliographic prospecting|journal=Journal of Cannabis Research|volume=7|pages=8|year=2025|doi=10.1186/s42238‑025‑00259‑x |doi-broken-date=21 October 2025 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
Meatless varieties of ''dolma'' are known in Turkish as ''yalancı dolma'' ("fake" or "counterfeit dolma"), typically filled with seasoned rice.<ref name= "Davidson" /><ref name= "Zaouali L" /> The term reflects an older culinary convention during when vegetarian dishes were regarded as substitutes rather than "genuine" dishes in medieval Islamic societies, as Islam does not prescribe abstention from meat on any occasion.<ref name= "Zaouali L">{{cite book |last1=Zaouali |first1=Lilia |title=Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic World: A Concise History with 174 Recipes |date=2007 |publisher=University of California Press |page=x |url=https://archive.org/stream/islamichistory_202201/Medieval%20Cuisine%20of%20the%20Islamic%20World_%20A%20Concise%20History%20with%20174%20Recipes_djvu.txt}}</ref> Arabs referred to such dishes as ''muzawwaj'' ("counterfeit").<ref name= "Zaouali L" /> Related forms of the term are used in several other languages, including Arabic يالانجي (''yalanji''), Greek ντολμαδάκια γιαλαντζί (''ntolmadákia gialantzí''), Armenian յալանչի դոլմա (''yalanchi tolma''), and Georgian იალანჩი ტოლმა (''ialanchi tolma'').
==History==
===Origin=== Although its exact origin is disputed,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230320-yaprakh-the-kurdish-version-of-dolmas|title=Yaprakh, the Kurdish version of dolmas|date=20 March 2023|website=BBC|author-first=Alicia|author-last=Erickson|access-date=23 January 2026}}</ref> dolma is mainly associated with an array of stuffed vegetables that originated in Turkey<ref name="Marks">{{cite book |last1=Marks |first1=Gil |title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food |date=2010 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |page=529 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC&pg=PT529&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref> during the Ottoman Empire.<ref name= "Davidson">{{cite book |last1=Davidson |first1=Alan |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |date=1999 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-211579-9 |page=253 |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordcompaniont0000davi_g3y4/page/252/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name= "Roden" /><ref name="McWilliams">{{cite book |last1=Perry |first1=Charles |title=Wrapped and Stuffed Foods: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery |date=1983|publisher=Aris Books |location=Berkeley|page=259 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MD0QDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA259&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q&f=false |editor-last=McWilliams|editor-first=Mark|chapter=Before Dolma: A Taxonomy of Medieval Arab Stuffery |author-link=Charles Perry (food writer)}}</ref><ref name = "Işın P M">{{cite book |last1=Işın |first1=Priscilla Mary |title=Bountiful Empire: A History of Ottoman Cuisine |date=2018 |publisher=Reaktion Books |page=30}}</ref><ref name="Gayatri">{{cite web |last1=Gayatri |first1=Soumya |title=Dolma: The stuffed dish the world fell in love with |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/travel/article/20260213-dolma-the-stuffed-dish-the-world-fell-in-love-with |website=BBC |access-date=9 March 2026 |language=en}}</ref> The Turks might have adopted the dish from the Greeks,<ref name="Roden" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Dalby |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com.tr/books?id=I4UeyRkqgvQC&pg=PA190 |title=Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece |date=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-134-96985-2 |pages=190 |language=en}}</ref> as it already existed in the Byzantine Empire.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Davidson |first=Alan |url=https://www.google.com.tr/books/edition/Food_in_Motion/jYa3J6xrjt4C |title=Food in Motion: The Migration of Foodstuffs and Cookery Techniques |date=1983 |publisher=Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery |isbn=978-0-907325-16-1 |pages=185 |language=en}}</ref> Either way, according to Claudia Roden and Alta Ann Parkins, "stuffed vegetables were obviously developed as a "court cuisine," invented and prepared for a rich and powerful leisured class to excite their curiosity and titillate their palates, as well as to satisfy their desire for ostentation".<ref name="Roden" />
The earliest known reference to "''dolma''" appears in the 16th-century Persian book ''Mâddet ol-Hayât'', which observes that cabbage ''dolmeh'' is "commonly prepared in the land of the Rûm (Turkey) but not well known in Iran".<ref name="McWilliams" /> Dolma remains a traditional dish that has changed little since Ottoman times.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Işın |first1=Priscilla Mary |title=Bountiful Empire: A History of Ottoman Cuisine |date=2018 |publisher=Reaktion Books |page=9}}</ref>
According to Charles Perry, it was relatively recently that stuffed vegetables became a characteristic food of the Eastern Mediterranean, when the Ottomans made them a regular culinary category 500 years ago.<ref name="McWilliams" /> He observes that medieval Arabic cookbooks contained many recipes for stuffed dishes, but rarely stuffed vegetables.<ref name="McWilliams" />
William Pokhlebkin, a culinary historian specialist, contends that the dish's inception traces back to Armenian culinary heritage.<ref name="pokhlyobkin">{{cite book|title=Национальные кухни наших народов|language=ru|author=William Pokhlyobkin|isbn=978-5-9524-2783-9|date=1978|publisher=Центрполиграф|trans-title=The Ethnic Cuisines of our Peoples. Light and Food Industry|quote=From the 17th to the early 19th century, Armenia was divided between Turkey and Iran. During this period, Armenia's economy, its human and material resources declined, but its spiritual and material culture remained unchanged, and Armenian cuisine did not perish. On the contrary, Armenians contributed to the cuisine of the Seljuk Turks, so many truly Armenian dishes later became known in Europe through the Turks as, allegedly, Turkish cuisine (for example, dolma).}}</ref>
Stuffing as a technique existed by the Abbasid period, appearing in ''Kitab al-Tabikh'', a 10th-century compilation of the Baghdad court cuisine by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq.<ref name="McWilliams" /> The stuffed dishes appeared in many forms, precisely sausages, meats, pastries (e.g. ''sānbusaj''), and sweets (e.g. crepes).<ref name="McWilliams" /> The fillings were based on meat and herbs, while the stuffed sweets were filled with nuts only.<ref name="McWilliams" /> The practice of stuffing also existed in Central Asia, where fillings (usually meat) were enclosed in thin dough to form dumplings such as ''manti''.<ref name="Marks" /><ref name="M McWilliams" />
Stuffed vegetables first appeared in the 13th-century Syrian cookbook ''Kitab al-Wuslah ila l-habib'', although limited to eggplant and snake melon.<ref name="McWilliams" /> They were filled with meat, and cooked in broth, fat, and aromatics.<ref name="McWilliams" /> However, an earlier recipe for stuffed vegetables may date back to late antiquity, where cucumbers stuffed with forcemeat, then cooked in broth or wine sauce, are recorded in the Roman cookbook ''Apicius''.<ref name= "Vehling">{{cite book |last1=Vehling |first1=Joseph Dommers |title=Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome |date=1978 |publisher=Dover Publications |location=Chicago |page=79 |url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/29728/29728-h/29728-h.htm |quote= [Stew the] peeled cucumbers either in broth [1] or in a wine sauce; [and] you will find them to be tender and not causing indigestion. [1] Usually cucumbers are parboiled in water and then finished in broth; most often after being parboiled they are stuffed with forcemeat and then finished in broth.}}</ref>
In the western Arab world from the same century, namely North Africa and Moorish Spain (Al-Andalus), the cookbook ''Kitāb al-ṭabīẖ'' contained 50 recipes on stuffed and wrapped dishes, with eggplant being the primary vegetable used for stuffing.<ref name="McWilliams" /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Martinelli |first1=Candida |title=The Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook |date=2012 |pages=108-109 |url=https://www.italophiles.com/andalusian_cookbook.pdf |quote= Take nicely-shaped sweet eggplants and take out their seedy flesh carefully so that they keep their shape. [Hollow them out, reserving the tops for later.] Then boil what you took out from inside in salted water until it is done. Drain the water and mash it [the boiled flesh] to pieces, as mentioned earlier. Combine with white bread crumbs, egg and cooked pounded meat. Fill the empty skins with this [retaining some] and replace the seedy flesh as it was. Throw them into and arrange them in the tajine and pour in the rest of the stuffing and some oil. Put in the oven and leave until thickened and completely done. Take out the eggplants and put them as they are on a platter, whole, as if nothing had been done to them [stuff the eggplants, replacing the tips].}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Perry |first1=Charles |title=Scents and Flavors: A Syrian Cookbook |date=2017 |publisher=New York University Press |page=93}}</ref> By the 13th century, the eastern and western Arab world had been politically separated for five centuries, and the cuisines evolved in their own directions.<ref name="McWilliams" /> The characteristic savory stuffing in the east was usually meat or nuts, while in the west, eggs and cheese were common fillings.<ref name="McWilliams" /> Other western Arabic stuffed dishes involved pies, pastries, meats, and fish.<ref name="McWilliams" />
Recipes for stuffed vegetables also appeared in East Asia.<ref name="M McWilliams">{{cite book |last1=Öney Tan |first1=Aylin |title=Wrapped and Stuffed Foods: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery |date=1983|publisher=Aris Books |location=Berkeley|pages=145-147|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MD0QDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA145&hl=it&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=1#v=onepage&q&f=false |editor-last=McWilliams|editor-first=Mark|chapter=Mantı or Mantou: Dumplings across the Silk Road from Central Asia to Turkey}}</ref> An Uyghur imperial doctor named Hu Sihui, who served for the Chinese Emperor during the Yuan dynasty, compiled a recipe for stuffed eggplants in his 13th-century cookbook and medical text ''Yinshan Zhengyao''.<ref name="M McWilliams" /> The dish consisted of eggplants stuffed with minced meats, sheep's fat, onions, and mandarin orange peel, which was then steamed and finished with garlic, cream or yogurt, and ground basil.<ref name="M McWilliams" />
===Ottoman period=== thumb|A famous dolma-maker in Istanbul, 1905
During the Ottoman Empire, vegetables became one of the hallmarks of the Ottoman cuisine, especially eggplants.<ref name = "Işın P M" /> They were so numerous and highly regarded that one observer commented in the 19th century that it was "on the preparation of vegetables that the Turkish cook expends all his art".<ref name = "Işın P M" /> Most Ottoman families had gardens where they grew their own vegetables and fruits, and in season, market prices were low.<ref name = "Işın P M" />
Stuffed vegetables called ''dolma'' became one of the most loved and diverse categories of the empire's cuisine.<ref name = "Işın P M" /> They evolved from just onions and apples in the 15th century to a wide range of vegetables and leaves over the following centuries, with meatless and dairyless varieties, as prepared by Orthodox Christians for Lent, becoming mainstream by the late 18th century.<ref name = "Işın P M" /> By the 17th century, Istanbul had 50 cookshops known as ''dolmacı'' that specialized in several stuffed vegetables.<ref name= "Işın" /> Dolma also became a marker of status, where rich men and high-ranking state officials began employing specialist dolma cooks.<ref name="Gayatri" /> Since stuffed zucchini was the most common variety, foreigners have suggested that the Dolmabahçe Palace got its name because it was built on a "garden where zucchini was grown".<ref name="P Işın" /> Dolma may have spread into the general population through the wealthy Istanbulites, who mimicked the dishes of the Ottoman imperial kitchens by creating their own recipes and elaborating on such dishes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Andrew |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America |date=2013 |publisher=OUP USA |page=502 |edition=2 |volume=1 |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DOJMAgAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=RA2-PA502&dq=dolma+turkish&hl=en&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref>
Religious practices also played a key role in shaping the popularity of dolma.<ref name="Gayatri" /> The empire was home to large populations of Christians, who fasted for nearly 180 days a year for Lent and followed dietary rules that prohibited the consumption of animal products.<ref name="Gayatri" /> During this period, stuffed leaves and vegetables became increasingly common as cooks found creative ways to make meals without meat, including meatless varieties of dolma.<ref name="Gayatri" /><ref name="P Işın" />
Priscilla Mary Işın argues that the innovation of dolma recipes was driven by the imperial court.<ref name="Gayatri" /> The establishment of the Ottoman palace kitchen, known as ''Matbah-ı Âmire'', created a competitive environment where cooks constantly experimented with flavors and techniques to impress the Sultan and his council.<ref name="Gayatri" /> The size of the Ottoman Empire further accelerated this creativity, where it connected different geographies and agricultural traditions.<ref name="Gayatri" /> Işın points out that "vegetables from across these regions flowed into Istanbul's kitchens, where they were hollowed out, filled, and reimagined".<ref name="Gayatri" />
Several food historians have associated dolma with the Ottoman court cuisine. Alan Davidson links both the distribution of stuffed vegetables and the term ''dolma'' itself to the court cuisine of the Ottoman Empire, observing that while vegetables had been stuffed in pre-Ottoman times, "it was in Istanbul that stuffed vegetables were first treated as a regular culinary genre".<ref name= "Davidson" />
Similarly, Claudia Roden notes that stuffed vegetables do not appear in the very early Persian and Arab manuscripts, but were known by the time of the Ottoman Empire, served at the lavish banquets of the sultans.<ref name= "Roden">{{cite book |last1=Roden |first1=Claudia |title=A Book of Middle Eastern Food |date=1974 |publisher=Vintage Books |location=New York |pages=298-299 |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofmiddleeast00rode/page/298/mode/2up}}</ref> While emphasizing that the precise origin is uncertain and contested, Roden describes stuffed vegetables as a form of "court cuisine" invented and prepared for a wealthy and powerful leisured class for entertainment.<ref name= "Roden" /> She argues that the lengthy, skilled, and delicate preparation of these dishes indicates the presence of numerous specialized cooks in large palace kitchens, while the harmony between vegetables and fillings demonstrates the refined taste and deep culinary knowledge of their masters.<ref name= "Roden" /> Over time, stuffed vegetables spread to poorer households who simplified the fillings while preserving the time-consuming preparation, as a means of demonstrating their culinary skills and impressing guests.<ref name= "Roden" />
Ottoman sources record various stuffed dishes between the 15th and 19th century:<ref name="P Işın" />
* 15th century: onions, apples, tripes, quinces, spleens.<ref name= "Işın">{{cite journal |last1=Işın |first1=Priscilla Mary |title=Fish of the Fields: Aubergines in the Ottoman Period |journal=Food and History |date=2013 |volume=11 |issue=1 |page=27 |url=https://www.brepolsonline.net/docserver/fulltext/food/11/1/J.FOOD.1.103553.pdf?expires=1768757664&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=C81FA1E3DE9C198774065792E593138A}}</ref><ref >{{cite book |last1=Işın |first1=Priscilla Mary |title=Osmanlı Mutfak Sözlüğü |date=2021 |publisher=Kitap Yayınevi |location=Istanbul |pages=37, 97, 89 |url=https://archive.org/details/priscilla-mary-isin-osmanli-mutfak-sozlugu/page/97/mode/1up}}</ref>
* 16th century: gourds, vine leaves, cabbages, carrots, unripe zucchinis, plum leaves, eggplants, pumpkins, lamb.<ref name="P Işın">{{cite book |last1=Işın |first1=Priscilla Mary |title=Osmanlı Mutfak Sözlüğü |date=2021 |publisher=Kitap Yayınevi |location=Istanbul |page=97 |url=https://archive.org/details/priscilla-mary-isin-osmanli-mutfak-sozlugu/page/97/mode/1up}}</ref><ref name= "Işın" />
* 17th century: fish (mackerels, northern red snappers, bonitos, goatfishes, pacific blue-eyes, common pandoras, cuttlefish), watermelons, luffas, borage leaves.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Işın |first1=Priscilla Mary |title=Osmanlı Mutfak Sözlüğü |date=2021 |publisher=Kitap Yayınevi |location=Istanbul |pages=46, 97, 170, 271, 238, 256 |url=https://archive.org/details/priscilla-mary-isin-osmanli-mutfak-sozlugu/page/97/mode/1up}}</ref>
* 18th century: leeks, spinach, Armenian cucumbers, okras, Jerusalem artichokes.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Işın |first1=Priscilla Mary |title=Osmanlı Mutfak Sözlüğü |date=2021 |publisher=Kitap Yayınevi |location=Istanbul |pages=49, 97, 406 |url=https://archive.org/details/priscilla-mary-isin-osmanli-mutfak-sozlugu/page/97/mode/1up}}</ref>
* 19th century: mussels, melons, ribs, squash, turnips, ducks, bitter tomatoes, red tomatoes, bell peppers, hazelnut leaves, quince leaves, bitter tomato leaves, morello cherry leaves.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Işın |first1=Priscilla Mary |title=Osmanlı Mutfak Sözlüğü |date=2021 |publisher=Kitap Yayınevi |location=Istanbul |pages=97, 171, 192, 263-264, 286, 347, 397 |url=https://archive.org/details/priscilla-mary-isin-osmanli-mutfak-sozlugu/page/97/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Samancı |first1=Özge |title=İstanbul Mutfağında Yeni Dünya Lezzetleri: Domates, Biber, Patates |journal=Meltem İzmir Akdeniz Akademisi Dergisi |date=2019 |volume=86-89 |issue=5 |page=89 |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/890034}}</ref>
===Historical variations===
Under centuries of Ottoman rule, dolma spread across territories in the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Caucasus, and the Balkans, where communities adapted it to local tastes and ingredients, while taking on new names.<ref name="Gayatri" />
Dolma spread as far as Sweden, after the Swedish king Charles XII lost the Battle of Poltava to Russia in 1709, and spent his exiled years in the Ottoman Empire.<ref name="Gayatri" /> When he returned to Sweden in 1715 with a taste for stuffed dishes and a retinue of Turkish chefs who created stuffed cabbage rolls, giving birth to the Swedish ''kåldomar''.<ref name="Gayatri" /><ref name= "Davidson" /> Swedish chefs developed a sweeter version of dolma, often dressing it with a traditional Swedish syrup called ''ljus sirap'' and serving it with lingonberries.<ref name="Gayatri" />
Versions of ''dolma'' in Persian cuisine were seen as early as the 17th century,<ref>{{Cite web |title=DOLMA |url=https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/dolma/ |access-date=2026-02-26 |website=Encyclopaedia Iranica |language=en-US}}</ref> Several dolma recipes were recorded in 19th-century Iran by Naser al-Din Shah Qajar's chef, including stuffed vine leaves, cabbage leaves, cucumbers, eggplants, apples, and quinces, with varied fillings prepared with ground meat, sauteed mint leaves, rice and saffron.<ref>{{Encyclopaedia Iranica|last=Ghanoonparvar|first=M. R.|author-link=M.R. Ghanoonparvar|title=DOLMA|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/dolma|volume=7|fascicle=5|pages=478-479}}</ref> Iraqi Jewish families have a version of dolma with sweet and sour flavors that were not found in other versions.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Routledge| isbn = 978-1-317-38321-5| last = Meri| first = Josef| title = The Routledge Handbook of Muslim-Jewish Relations| date = 2016-06-23 |page=486}}</ref> Dolma are part of cuisine of the Sephardic Jews as well.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Cengage Learning| isbn = 978-0-538-73497-4| last1 = Kittler| first1 = Pamela Goyan| last2 = Sucher| first2 = Kathryn P.| last3 = Nelms| first3 = Marcia| title = Food and Culture| date = 2011-08-22}}</ref> Jews in the Ottoman Empire used locally grown grape leaves and adopted the Turkish name of the dish.<ref name=jta/>
Dolma also spread to India.<ref name="Gayatri" /> As Armenian merchants settled in Kolkata in the 16th-century, they introduced the concept of stuffed vegetables to local kitchens.<ref name="Gayatri" /> Bengali cooks invented ''potoler dolma'', where the native gourds ''potala'' stuffed with fish, prawns, potatoes, poppy seed paste, raisins, and cottage cheese, cooking it in a fragrant curry.<ref name="Gayatri" />
During winter months cabbage was a staple food for peasants in Persia and the Ottoman Empire, and it spread to the Balkans as well. Jews in Eastern Europe prepared variations of stuffed cabbage rolls with kosher meat—this dish is called holishkes. As meat was expensive, rice was sometimes mixed in with the meat. Jews in Europe would sometimes substitute barley, bread or kasha (barley porridge) for the rice.<ref name=jta>{{Cite web| title = The Jews, stuffed cabbage and Simchat Torah| work = Jewish Telegraphic Agency| access-date = 2018-06-30| date = 2012-10-07| url = https://www.jta.org/2012/10/07/life-religion/the-jews-stuffed-cabbage-and-simchat-torah| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171110063130/https://www.jta.org/2012/10/07/life-religion/the-jews-stuffed-cabbage-and-simchat-torah| archive-date = 2017-11-10}}</ref> There are similar Slavic cabbage rolls: ''golubtsy'' in Russian, ''holubtsi'' in Ukrainian, ''gołąbki'' in Polish.
In the Persian Gulf, basmati rice is preferred, and the flavor of the stuffing may be enhanced using tomatoes, onions and cumin.<ref name=tuttle>{{Cite book| publisher = Tuttle Publishing| isbn = 978-1-4629-0524-9| last = Salloum| first = Habeeb| title = Arabian Nights Cookbook: From Lamb Kebabs to Baba Ghanouj, Delicious Homestyle Arabian Cooking| date = 2012-02-28}}</ref>
==Distribution== Dolma dishes are found in Balkan, West Asian, North African and Central Asian cuisine.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Blüher |first1=P. M. |title=Encyclopédie de cuisine de tous les pays |date=1901 |publisher=University of California |page=171}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Janes |first1=Lauren |last2=Bourguignon |first2=Hélène |date=2014 |title=Curiosité gastronomique et cuisine exotique dans l'entre-deux-guerres: Une histoire de goût et de dégoût |url=http://www.cairn.info/revue-vingtieme-siecle-revue-d-histoire-2014-3-page-69.htm |journal=Vingtième Siècle. Revue d'histoire |language=fr |volume=123 |issue=3 |pages=69 |doi=10.3917/vin.123.0069 |issn=0294-1759|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=1934 |title=Aubergines à l'algérienne |journal=Le Pot-au-feu |pages=245}}</ref><ref name= "Davidson" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Surina |first=Asele |last2=McNamara |first2=Randall |date=2005-01-01 |title=Food Culture in Russia and Central Asia |url=https://www.academia.edu/93154461/Food_Culture_in_Russia_and_Central_Asia |journal=Food Culture Around the World}}</ref>
In 2017, dolma making in Azerbaijan was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.<ref name=":02">[https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/dolma-making-and-sharing-tradition-a-marker-of-cultural-identity-01188 Dolma making and sharing tradition, a marker of cultural identity] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207034443/https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/dolma-making-and-sharing-tradition-a-marker-of-cultural-identity-01188|date=2017-12-07}}. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.</ref> According to historian William Pokhlebkin, Azerbaijani dolma was adopted from neighboring Armenian cuisine.<ref>{{cite book|title=Большая энциклопедия кулинарного искусства|trans-title=The Great Encyclopedia of Culinary Arts|date=2003|author-first=William|author-last=Pokhlebkin|author-link=William Pokhlyobkin|publisher=Centrpoligraf Publishing House|isbn=5-9524-0274-7}}</ref>
The culture of ''tolma'' preparation and consumption is included in the intangible cultural heritage list of Armenia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://int-heritage.am/ich-list-of-ra/|title=ՀՀ ՈՆՄԺ Արժեքների Ցանկ|trans-title=List of Intangible Cultural Values of Armenia|language=hy|website=int-heritage.am|date=19 April 2022 |access-date=3 July 2025}}</ref>
thumb|Stuffed green pepper and zucchini thumb|Armenian dolma
==Variants== There are many varieties of ''dolma'' with olive oil and clarified butter. The olive oil based dolmas are usually stuffed with rice and served cold with a garlic-yogurt sauce, but variations with meat based fillings are served warm, often with tahini or avgolemono sauce.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Milliken Publishing Company| isbn = 978-1-4291-2261-0| last = Kopka| first = Deborah| title = Passport Series: Middle East| date = 2011-09-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |publisher= HMH |isbn= 978-0-544-18631-6 |last= Marks |first= Gil |title= Encyclopedia of Jewish Food |date= 2010-11-17 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC&pg=PT746 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160810014900/https://books.google.com/books?id=gFK_yx7Ps7cC |archive-date= 2016-08-10 }}</ref>
===Stuffed vine leaves=== {{main|Stuffed leaves}} thumb|Stuffed vine leaves served with yogurt The origins of stuffed vine leaves, or ''sarma'', are unknown. They can be made with meat or grain fillings, and served with garlic yogurt, ''tarbiya'' or sweet and sour sauces made with pomegranate syrup and sour cherries. They are known as ''dolmeh'' in Iran, ''îprax'' or ''sarme'' by Kurds, ''dolmades'' in Greece, ''koupepia'' in Cyprus, ''tolma sardu'' or ''terevor tolma'' in Armenia,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Martirosyan |first1=Hrach |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=340lAQAAMAAJ |title=Etymological dictionary of the Armenian inherited lexicon |date=2011 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004173378 |page=}}</ref> ''yarpaq dolması'' in Azerbaijan,<ref name="King 2006">{{Cite book |last=King |first=David C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NCez3ZuV3NoC&dq=yarpaq+dolmasi+azerbaijan&pg=PA120 |title=Azerbaijan |date=2006 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=978-0-7614-2011-8 |language=en}}</ref> and ''yebra'' in Syria.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Houghton Mifflin Harcourt| isbn = 978-0-544-18750-4| last = Marks| first = Gil| title = Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World| date = 2008-03-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book| publisher = HMH| isbn = 978-0-544-18631-6| last = Marks| first = Gil| title = Encyclopedia of Jewish Food| date = 2010-11-17}}</ref> Egyptians call it ''mahshi waraq enab'' ({{Lang|arz|محشي ورق عنب}}),<ref name="Beaumont2008">{{cite book|author=Hervé Beaumont|title=Egypte|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kbDPD_wIjqIC&pg=PA36|year=2008|publisher=Editions Marcus|language=fr|isbn=978-2-7131-0269-1|pages=36–}}</ref> this version of dolma, or mahshi as it is called in Egypt, is typically eaten during the summer.<ref name="Humphreys1998">{{cite book|author=Andrew Humphreys|title=Cairo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eLsUAQAAIAAJ|year=1998|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-0-86442-548-5|page=156}}</ref> Stuffed vine leaves without any meat, called ''yalanchi dolma'' in Turkish and Western Armenian, are served at room temperature.
===Cabbage rolls=== {{main|Cabbage rolls}} In several countries, cabbage rolls are stuffed with beans and tart fruits. It is wrapped with cabbage leaves, and stuffed with red beans, garbanzo beans, lentils, cracked wheat, tomato paste, onion and many spices and flavorings. Cabbage rolls are called Pasuts tolma (պասուց տոլմա) (Lenten dolma) in Armenian where they are of seven different grains – chickpea, bean, lentil, cracked wheat, pea, rice and maize.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} Armenian cooks sometimes use rose hip syrup to flavor stuffed cabbage rolls.<ref name=duguid>{{Cite book| publisher = Artisan Books| isbn = 978-1-57965-727-7| last = Duguid| first = Naomi| title = Taste of Persia: A Cook's Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan| date = 2016-09-06}}</ref> Cabbage rolls are also known as ''lahana dolmasi'' in Turkey and ''kələm dolması'' in Azerbaijan.<ref name="King 2006"/> During winter in Egypt cabbage is traditionally used to make mahshi; these cabbage rolls are called mahshi kromb ({{Lang|arz|محشي كرمب}}).<ref name="Humphreys1998"/>
===Vegetables=== thumb|Stuffed onions with yogurt thumb|''Lift mahshi'', stuffed turnip in the Palestinian style ''Soğan dolması'' (''soğan'' means "onion" in Turkish), ''dolmeyê pivazê'' in Kurdish), or stuffed onions, ''its’onats sokh'' ({{Langx|hy|լցոնած սոխ}}; meaning “stuffed onion”), or stuffed onions, are a traditional dish in Turkey, Armenia and Bosnia. The ingredients include onions, minced beef, rice, oil, tomato purée, paprika, vinegar or sour cream, strained yogurt, black pepper, salt and spices. After the onion's skin is removed, the larger, external, layers (leaves) of onion bulbs are used as containers, so-called "shirts" for the meat stuffing. The remaining part of the onion is also used, mixed with the meat and fried on oil for a couple of minutes, to obtain the base of the stuffing. To extract the separate "shirts", the entire bulbs are cut on the top and then boiled until soft enough to be pried off, layer by layer. In order to prevent a further softening and crumbling, the bulbs should be blanched. The "shirts" are removed from the bulbs by slow and gentle finger pressure. Filled "shirts" are boiled slowly at low heat in broth. The level of liquid should be sufficient to cover the dolmas entirely. Onion dolma are usually served with dense natural yogurt.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}}
Stuffed peppers ({{Langx|hy|լցոնած բիբար}}, {{Langx|ku|dolmeyê îsotan}}, {{Langx|el|γεμιστές πιπεριές}}, {{Langx|tr|biber dolması}}) are common in many cuisines, while mostly popular in Armenia, Greece and Turkey. Bell peppers are hollowed and filled with rice, herbs, onions, currants and optionally raisins. The Armenian version adds tarragon, mint, walnuts and/or pine nuts to the stuffing.{{cn|date=July 2025}} In the cuisine of the Crimean Tatars, ''dolma'' refers to peppers stuffed with minced lamb or beef, rice, onion, salt, pepper. Carrots, greens, tomato paste, and spices can be added to the filling. When grape leaves are stuffed with the same filling, however, they are called ''sarma''.
Stuffed turnips are popular in Jordan and the West Bank (notably in Hebron and as-Salt). The turnips are stuffed with spiced rice and minced meat and are lightly fried before being cooked in a tamarind sauce.<ref>{{cite news |date=10 April 2018 |title=Beyond mansaf: four traditional Jordanian dishes you probably did not know |url=https://jordantimes.com/news/features/beyond-mansaf-four-traditional-jordanian-dishes-you-probably-did-not-know |access-date=22 June 2025 |work=Jordan Times |language=en}}</ref>
''Mülebbes dolma'' is a historic recipe from the Ottoman era.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oJIPAQAAMAAJ |title=Virgül |date=2007 |publisher=Pusula Yayıncılık |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180630140423/https://books.google.com/books?id=oJIPAQAAMAAJ |archive-date=2018-06-30 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Şalgam dolma'' are stuffed Russian turnips.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Turkish folk culture researches |date=1990 |publisher=Halk Kültürünü Araştırma Dairesi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Zat |first=Vefa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kvuBAAAAMAAJ |title=Eski İstanbul meyhaneleri |date=2002 |publisher=İletişim |isbn=978-975-470-998-8}}</ref>
''Enginar dolması'' is stuffed whole artichoke hearts. They may be stuffed with seasoned rice or ground meat cooked in fresh tomato sauce with aleppo pepper.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Kıymalı enginar dolması tarifi| work = Mıllıyet Haber - Türkıye'nın Haber Sıtesı| access-date = 2018-06-29| url = http://www.milliyet.com.tr/kiymali-enginar-dolmasi-tarifi-pembenar-detay-zeytinyaglilarsebzeler-2215244/| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180629211650/http://www.milliyet.com.tr/kiymali-enginar-dolmasi-tarifi-pembenar-detay-zeytinyaglilarsebzeler-2215244/| archive-date = 2018-06-29}}</ref> Celery root may be substituted for the artichoke.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Kereviz Dolması tarifi (Bursa) - Haber - Mutfağım| work = Kanal D| date = 31 October 2012| access-date = 2018-06-30| url = https://www.kanald.com.tr/mutfagim/haberler/kereviz-dolmasi-tarifi-bursa/38302.aspx| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180630080734/https://www.kanald.com.tr/mutfagim/haberler/kereviz-dolmasi-tarifi-bursa/38302.aspx| archive-date = 2018-06-30}}</ref>
''Eggplant dolma'' is a dish popular in a few countries. In Armenia, It is called ''its’onats smbuk'' or ''smbukov dolma'' ({{Langx|hy|լցոնած սմբուկ or սմբուկով դոլմա}}) and is traditionally made with hollowed eggplant that is filled with rice, meat, herbs (tarragon, mint, parsley, coriander) onions, currants, walnuts or pinenuts and optionally raisins. While another version prepares the filling with onions, garlic, tomatoes, cinnamon, allspice, cumin, turmeric, black pepper, apricots and pomegranade seeds. There also is an Armenian version making this dish using the dried skin and outer layer of an eggplant.{{cn|date=July 2025}} In Turkey, this dish is called ''Halep dolması,'' named after Aleppo. It is a dish of eggplants stuffed with a meat and rice filling that is flavored with spices and either sour plum flavoring syrup or lemon juice.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vakfı |first=Türkiye Ekonomik ve Toplumsal Tarih |title=Dünden bugüne İstanbul ansiklopedisi |date=1994 |publisher=Kültür Bakanlığı |isbn=978-975-7306-06-1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Erdoğdu |first=Şeref |title=Ankaram |date=1999 |publisher=T.C. Kültür Bakanlığı |isbn=978-975-17-2180-8}}</ref> In the Arab world, this dish is known as ''makdous'' ({{Langx|ar|المكدوس}}). It is a dish of oil-cured aubergines. These are miniature, tangy eggplants stuffed with walnuts, red pepper, garlic, olive oil, and salt. Sometimes chilli powder is added.
A regional specialty from Mardin is a mixed dolma platter. The sumac and Urfa pepper seasoned rice filling is first wrapped with onion layers, vine leaves, and cabbage. The remainder of the rice is used to fill eggplant, zucchini, and stuffing peppers. The wrapped onion dolma are added on the bottom of a deep cooking pot and the stuffed vegetables, cabbage rolls, and stuffed vine leaves are layered on top of the onion dolmas. The entire pot of dolmas are cooked in sumac flavored water.<ref>{{Cite web| title = Zeytinyağlı Sumaklı Karışık Dolma tarifi - Haber - Mutfağım| work = Kanal D| date = 5 April 2013| access-date = 2018-06-30| url = https://www.kanald.com.tr/mutfagim/haberler/zeytinyagli-sumakli-karisik-dolma-tarifi/44180.aspx| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180630213951/https://www.kanald.com.tr/mutfagim/haberler/zeytinyagli-sumakli-karisik-dolma-tarifi/44180.aspx| archive-date = 2018-06-30}}</ref>
Different forms of stuffed carrots are popular in some cuisines in West Asia, such as Armenian and Palestinian cuisine, usually they stuffed with rice and ground meat, and are cooked in tamarind sauce.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mishan |first1=Ligaya |title=The Rise of Palestinian Food |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/12/t-magazine/palestinian-food.html |access-date=28 June 2025 |work=The New York Times Style Magazine |date=12 Feb 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kalla |first1=Joudie |author1-link=Joudie Kalla |title=Baladi |date=2018 |publisher=Harvard Common Press |location=Minneapolis |isbn=978-1-78131-881-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PTByDwAAQBAJ |chapter=Teta Najla’s jazar mahshi}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Zerouali |first1=Nadia |title=Lamb Tonight: Make Armenian Stuffed Carrots |url=https://www.foodrepublic.com/recipes/armenian-stuffed-carrots/ |website=Food Republic |access-date=28 June 2025 |date=8 May 2018}}</ref>
===Seafood===
There are also seafood variants of dolma. Stuffed mussels ({{Langx|hy|Լցոնած միդիա, or Միդիա տոլմա}}; {{langx|tr|Midye dolma}}) may be filled with rice, onion, black pepper, allspice, lemon juice, pine nuts and salt.<ref name="LLC1993">{{cite book |author=New York Media, LLC |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uiIAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA69 |title=New York Magazine |date=22 February 1993 |publisher=New York Media, LLC |pages=69– |issn=0028-7369}}</ref>
The filling for stuffed squid{{Efn|Greek: Γεμιστό καλαμάρι/Καλαμάρι γεμιστό (yemisto kalamari/kalimari yemisto) <br> Italian: Calamari ripieni <br> Portuguese: Lula recheada <br> Spanish: Calamares rellenos <br> Tunisian: كلامار محشي (kalamar mihshi)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kouki |first=Mohamed |title=Tunisian Gastronomy |publisher=Wafa |year=2000 |location=Tunis |pages=157}}</ref> <br> Turkish: Kalamar dolması}} is made from halloumi cheese, onion, breadcrumbs, garlic and parsley. The whole tentacle is stuffed with the mixture and fried in a butter, olive oil and tomato sauce. For another variation a whole small squid may be stuffed with a bulgur and fresh herb mixture and baked in the oven.<ref name=basan>{{Cite book| publisher = Macmillan| isbn = 978-0-312-15617-6| last = Basan| first = Ghillie| title = Classic Turkish Cooking| date = 1997-04-15 |page=138}}</ref>
Stuffed mackerel ({{Langx|tr|Uskumru dolma}}, {{Langx|hy|լցոնած սկումբրիա}}), or stuffed trout ({{Langx|hy|լցոնած իշխան}}) are staples of Armenian and Turkish cuisine. While the trout (typically sevan trout) version is more specific to Armenia. The version that was traditionally prepared by Armenian cooks is particularly well-regarded. After the fish is prepared by carefully separating the skin from the meat, the meat is sauteed with onions, currants, dried apricots, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, walnuts, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, fresh herbs and lemon juice. The entire mixture is stuffed into the whole, intact skin, or grape leaves. The stuffed mackerel is then either baked or preferably grilled long enough to brown the skin.<ref name=basan /><ref>{{Cite web| last = YAŞİN| first = Mehmet| title = Uskumru mu kolyoz mu?| date = 10 September 2017| access-date = 2018-06-29| url = http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/mehmet-yasin/uskumru-mu-kolyoz-mu-40573999| url-status = live| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171101212943/http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/mehmet-yasin/uskumru-mu-kolyoz-mu-40573999| archive-date = 2017-11-01}}</ref>
Stuffed sardines ({{Langx|el|σαρδέλες γεμιστές or σαρδέλες παντρεμένες}}) are often filled with kasseri cheese, tomato, onion, basil and parsley.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MEDITERRANEAN BAKED STUFFED SARDINES |url=https://30daysofgreekfood.com/mediterranean-baked-stuffed-sardines/ |archive-date= |access-date=July 9, 2020 |website=30 days of Greek food |date=9 July 2020 }}</ref>In Greece and Turkey, stuffed sardines may be served as a mezze platter at traditional eateries called ''taverna'', or ''meyhane''.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Overteam Yayınları| isbn = 978-605-5058-11-1| last = Zat| first = Erdir| title = Türkiye Meyhaneler Rehberi: Türkiye Meyhaneler Rehberi| date = 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Civitello |first=Linda |url=https://archive.org/details/cuisineculturehi0000civi_q3z5 |title=Cuisine and Culture: A History of Food and People |publisher=Wiley |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-470-40371-6 |location=New York |page=}}</ref>
===Offal=== ''Dalak dolması'' is spleen stuffed with rice, meat and herbs. It may be served as a ''meze,'' paired with rakı. The dish originates in Armenian cuisine, and is a traditional Armenian Orthodox New Year dish, served with ''anoushabour'' and ''chi kufta''.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Overteam Yayınları| isbn = 978-605-5058-00-5| last1 = Kesmez| first1 = Melisa| last2 = Aydın| first2 = Mehmet Said| title = Rakı Cep Ansiklopedisi| date = September 2013| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tvBUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA26|pages=26|language=tr|trans-title=Rakı Pocket Encyclopaedia}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Panem et Circenses: Armenian Religious Feasts and Celebrations |date=December 2016 |work=This Week in Palestine |issue=224 |pages=66–67 |url=https://yplus.ps/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Religious-Celebrations-in-Palestine-This-Week-in-Palestine.pdf |publisher=Turbo Computers & Software Co. Ltd.|last=Balian|first=Setrag}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Armenian Holiday Traditions |last=Kezelian |first=Harry |date=2021-01-07 |url=https://mirrorspectator.com/2021/01/07/armenian-holiday-traditions/ |place=Watertown, Massachusetts |publisher=The Armenian Mirror Spectator}}</ref> Diyarbekir-style ''dalak dolması'' is made with lamb and lamb's tail fat; it was registered as a geographical indication by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office in October 2021.<ref>{{Citation |title=No: 921 – Mahreç İşareti: DİYARBAKIR DALAK DOLMASI |date=2021-10-15 |url=https://ci.turkpatent.gov.tr/Files/GeographicalSigns/0033ce21-19a1-443e-8601-dd142bf0da57.pdf |publisher=Turkish Patent and Trademark Office |vauthors=((Diyarbekir Chamber of Commerce and Industry)) |language=tr}}</ref>
''Mumbar dolması'' is intestine stuffed with a moist mixture of ground meat, rice, pepper, cumin and salt. The stuffed intestine is then boiled in water until it is cooked thoroughly, after which it may be sliced and fried in butter before serving.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Ş.T. Kaptan| last = Kaptan| first = Şükrü Tekin| title = Denizli'nin halk kültürü ürünleri: bölgesel folklor karakterleri| date = 1988}}</ref>
===Fruit-based dolmas=== There are some fruit-based dolmas as well like stuffed quinces ({{Langx|hy|լցոնած սերկևիլ}}, {{Langx|fa|دلمه به}}, {{langx|tr|Ayva dolması}}). There are many variations of this dish. One has a rice and currant filling, flavored with coriander, cinnamon and sugar.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Kitabevi| last = Üçer| first = Müjgân| title = Anamın aşı tandırın başı: Sivas mutfağ̮ı : il merkezi ve ilçe yemekleri : gelenek, görenek, inançlar ve sözlü kültür| date = 2006}}</ref> Another variation uses meat and bulgur to stuff the quince that is then flavored with grape syrup.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Birlik Matbaacılık| isbn = 978-975-95216-5-3| last1 = Toygar| first1 = Kâmil| last2 = Toygar| first2 = Nimet Berkok| title = Ankara'da bağcılık ve bağ kültürü| date = 2005}}</ref> Armenian stuffed quinces specifically are made with quince, minced meat or cubed meat, onion, rice, pine nuts or walnuts, raisins, apricots, cinnamon, grape syrup, allspice, cloves, pepper, salt and butter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Victoria Atamian Waterman |title="Simply Quince" |url=https://armenianweekly.com/2024/08/06/book-review-simply-quince/ |website=Armenian Weekly |date=6 August 2024 }}</ref> This type of stuffed quinces is called Etchmiadzin Dolma.{{cn|date=July 2025}} Iranian stuffed quinces are made with quince, minced meat or cubed meat, almond, pistachio, barberry, butter, cardamom, coriander, tarragon, plum, onion, saffron, salt, pepper, turmeric and cinnamon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dolmeh Beh (Quince Stuffed With Beef and Cardamom) |url=https://www.jewishfoodsociety.org/recipes/dolmeh-beh-quince-stuffed-with-beef-and-cardamom |website=Jewish Food Society |date=3 September 2021 }}</ref> Grape syrup is also an ingredient in the meat-based variants of stuffed apples. and stuffed yellow plums.<ref>{{Cite book| title = Taste: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery| isbn = 9780907325390| access-date = 2018-06-29| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Lp-YVQ_S82QC| last1 = Jaine| first1 = Tom| year = 1988| publisher = Oxford Symposium on Food & Cookery}}</ref> Persian Jews may serve stuffed quince, called ''dolma bay'', as a Sabbath meal or during Sukkot.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Simon and Schuster| isbn = 978-0-684-83559-4| last = Marks| first = Gil| title = The: World of Jewish Cooking| date = 1999-09-02}}</ref>
Stuffed apples ({{Langx|hy|լցոնած խնձոր}}, {{Langx|fa|دلمه سیب}}, {{langx|tr|Elma dolması}}) are mostly popular in Armenia, Iran and Turkey. Turkish stuffed apples are made from cubed lamb, ground lamb, rice, black pepper and sumac-flavored grape syrup. Dried apricots and blanched almonds are added to the pot near the end of the cooking process. Armenian stuffed apples are made with apples stuffed with minced meat, parsley, mint, tarragon, black pepper, salt, raisins, apricots, walnuts, allspice, cinnamon, sumac, cumin, sumac-flavored grape syrup, sautéed onions and garlic. This type of stuffed apples is called etchmiadzin dolma as well.{{Citation needed|date=July 2025}} Iranian stuffed apples are made with apples that are stuffed with onion, turmeric, cloves, butter, minced meat, rice, cinnamon, pepper, grape syrup, lemon juice, and brown sugar. A meatless variant of the filling for stuffed apples is made from a sauteed mixture of diced apples, diced pears, walnuts, hazelnut, currants, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise. The hollowed out apples are stuffed with the mixture and baked in the oven. This version may be garnished with powdered sugar. This version is most popular in Armenia and Turkey.
Stuffed melons were part of the Ottoman palace cuisine. The recipe survives in modern Turkish, Yemenite, Iranian and Armenian cooking.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lovegren |first=Sylvia |title=Melon: A Global History |date=15 April 2016 |publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=9781780236186 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0ZmRDQAAQBAJ&dq=dolma+ottoman+cuisine&pg=PT59}}</ref>
===Other variations=== Stuffed sorrel ({{Langx|hy|ավելուկով տոլմա or սալորի տերևներով դոլմա}}, {{langx|tr|Labada sarması or Evelik Dolması}}) is a generic name for meals made of sorrel leaves stuffed with meat (lamb) and rice, or more rarely rice only.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Uvezian |first=Sonia |title=The Cuisine of Armenia |date=2007 |publisher=Hippocrene Books |isbn=9780781806954}}</ref>
Stuffed mallow ({{Langx|ku|Melûkîyê tije kirî or Dolma ya melûkîyê}}; Arabic: خبازة محشية; Hebrew: עלי חלמית ממולאים, <small>romanized:</small> ''Aley Ḥalmith Meemou'laim''; Turkish: ''Ebegümeci sarması'') is a generic name for dishes made of mallow leaves, stuffed with meat (lamb) and rice, or, more rarely, rice only. Other names are ''Mallow Sarma'' or ''Mallow Dolma''. It is mostly popular in Kurdistan (Kurdish populated regions) Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Palestine and the Balkans, where it may be served with yogurt.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |last1=Hubbard |first1=Ben |last2=Bilal |first2=Shbair |date=7 April 2024 |title=To Battle Wartime Hunger, Gazans Turn to a Humble Leafy Green (Published 2024) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/07/world/middleeast/gaza-hunger-food-khobeza.html |access-date=8 June 2025 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="rudaw">{{cite news |date=6 Sep 2017 |title=Preserving Kurdish culture in America through botany |url=https://www.rudaw.net/english/world/050920171 |access-date=8 June 2025 |work=www.rudaw.net}}</ref>
==Religious celebrations and customs== It is customary for Jewish families to eat holishkes cabbage rolls on ''Simchat Torah''.<ref name=jta />
Assyrians prepare meatless dolmas for Lent.<ref>{{cite book|last=Albala|first=Ken|title=Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2011|isbn=9781449618117|page=255|quote=}}</ref> When traditional ingredients are not available, the Armenian Christian community in West Bengal, India celebrates Christmas with ''potoler dorma'', a local variation from Anglo-Indian cuisine.<ref>{{Cite news|title = It's Christmas in January for Armenians - Times of India|work = The Times of India| date=7 January 2017 |access-date = 2018-08-13|url = https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/its-christmas-in-jan-for-armenians/articleshow/56381242.cms}}</ref> Stuffed vegetables called ''gemista'' or ''tsounidis'' are also common in Greek cuisine.<ref name="OUP">{{Cite book|publisher = Oxford University Press|isbn = 978-0-19-967733-7|last = Perry|first = Charles Perry|title = The Oxford Companion to Food|chapter = Dolma|access-date = 2018-06-29|date = 2014-11-20|chapter-url = http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199677337.001.0001/acref-9780199677337-e-0793|url-status = live|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180630140424/http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199677337.001.0001/acref-9780199677337-e-0793|archive-date = 2018-06-30}}</ref>
Muslim families often serve dolma as part of the ''iftar'' meal during Ramadan and during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations that mark the end of the holy month. Large pots of dolma are prepared during the Nowruz festival.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = ABC-CLIO| isbn = 978-0-313-37626-9| last = Albala| first = Ken| title = Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia| date = 2011}}</ref>
==Controversy== The origin of dolma is a subject of dispute in the region, particularly between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.<ref name="bbc5">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/russian/features-42459675|title=Долма: армянская или азербайджанская?|language=ru|date=23 December 2017|website=BBC|access-date=23 January 2026}}</ref><ref name="aljazeera"/> In Armenia, it is typically rolled into a tube, while in Azerbaijan it is folded into a small parcel.<ref name="bbc5"/> In 2011, the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, stated at the annual conference of the country's Academy of Sciences that "if you ask an Armenian what ''dolma'' means in their language, they will not be able to answer. It is a meaningless word for them."<ref name="opendemocracy"/><ref name="aljazeera"/> In response, Armenia held its own dolma festival, using the term ''uduli'' as the festival's name.<ref name="opendemocracy">{{cite web|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/culinary-conflict-south-caucasus-karabakh/|title=A culinary conflict in the South Caucasus|date=23 June 2017|website=openDemocracy|access-date=23 January 2026}}</ref><ref name="aljazeera">{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2013/5/8/food-feuds-continue-to-simmer-in-the-caucasus|title=Food feuds continue to simmer in the Caucasus|date=8 May 2013|website=Al Jazeera|access-date=23 January 2026}}</ref>
The Armenian side notes that the preparation of dolma requires grape leaves, which they consider evidence of early agricultural development; there is also archaeological evidence of viticulture and wine consumption in ancient Armenia.<ref name="opendemocracy"/> Azerbaijani sources, in turn, point to a Turkic origin for the name of the dish.<ref name="opendemocracy2">{{cite web|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/culinary-conflict-south-caucasus-karabakh/|title=A culinary conflict in the South Caucasus|date=23 June 2017|website=openDemocracy|access-date=23 January 2026}}</ref>
==See also== * Dolma Festival in Armenia * List of stuffed dishes * Sheikh al-mahshi, zucchini stuffed with minced lamb meat and pine nuts in yogurt sauce
==Notes== {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} ==References== {{Reflist}}
==Sources== * Alan Davidson, ''The Oxford Companion to Food''. {{ISBN|0-19-211579-0}}. * {{cite book | last=Gosetti Della Salda | first= Anna | title=Le ricette regionali italiane | publisher=Solares | location= Milano | year=1967 | language=it }} * {{Commons category-inline}}
{{Cuisine of Armenia}} {{Cuisine of Azerbaijan}} {{Cuisine of Greece}} {{Cuisine of Israel}} {{Cuisine of the Levant}} {{Turkish cuisine}} {{Intangible Heritage Azerbaijan}}
Category:Stuffed vegetable dishes Category:Arab cuisine Category:Armenian cuisine Category:Assyrian cuisine Category:Azerbaijani cuisine Category:Balkan cuisine Category:Greek cuisine Category:Iranian cuisine Category:Iraqi cuisine Category:Georgian cuisine Category:Kurdish cuisine Category:Levantine cuisine Category:Ottoman cuisine Category:Uzbek dishes Category:Algerian cuisine Category:Tunisian cuisine Category:Turkish cuisine Category:National dishes Category:Sephardi Jewish cuisine Category:Mizrahi Jewish cuisine Category:Lenten foods Category:Iftar foods Category:Swedish cuisine Category:Syrian cuisine Category:Albanian cuisine Category:Offal dishes Category:Seafood dishes Category:Fruit dishes