Dolma

The word dolma is of Turkish origin and means "something stuffed" or "filled". It derives from the verb dolmak ("to get filled or stuffed"), 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. 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 طولمه (dolma) is recorded with the Latin definition ripieno ("stuffed" or "filled"). 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." 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 Greek ντολμάς (ntolmás), Arabic ضُلْمَة (ḍulma), Persian dolmeh, Georgian ტოლმა (ṭolma), Tatar тулма (tulma), Turkmen dolâma, and Swedish dolme. In some post-Ottoman countries, dolma is referred to by a native term meaning "stuffed", such as γεμιστά (gemista) in Greek, 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. Like in the other languages, the etymology of the Armenian dolma or tolma is borrowed from Ottoman Turkish and it is additionally influenced by the old root toli. Meatless varieties of dolma are known in Turkish as yalancı dolma ("fake" or "counterfeit dolma"), typically filled with seasoned rice. Arabs referred to such dishes as muzawwaj ("counterfeit"). 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, dolma is mainly associated with an array of stuffed vegetables that originated in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire. The earliest known reference to the dish 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". 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. 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. 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. 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. Religious practices also played a key role in shaping the popularity of dolma. 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. • 16th century: gourds, vine leaves, cabbages, carrots, unripe zucchinis, plum leaves, eggplants, pumpkins, lamb. • 18th century: leeks, spinach, Armenian cucumbers, okras, Jerusalem artichokes. • 19th century: mussels, melons, ribs, squash, turnips, ducks, bitter tomatoes, red tomatoes, bell peppers, hazelnut leaves, quince leaves, bitter tomato leaves, morello cherry leaves. 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. 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. Iraqi Jewish families have a version of dolma with sweet and sour flavors that were not found in other versions. Dolma are part of cuisine of the Sephardic Jews as well. Jews in the Ottoman Empire used locally grown grape leaves and adopted the Turkish name of the dish. 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. ==Distribution==

Dolma dishes are found in Balkan, West Asian, North African and Central Asian cuisine. In 2017, dolma making in Azerbaijan was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. According to historian William Pokhlebkin, Azerbaijani dolma was adopted from neighboring Armenian cuisine. The culture of tolma preparation and consumption is included in the intangible cultural heritage list of Armenia. ==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. Stuffed vine leaves 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, dolmades in Greece, koupepia in Cyprus, tolma sardu or terevor tolma in Armenia, yarpaq dolması in Azerbaijan, and yebra in Syria. Egyptians call it mahshi waraq enab (), this version of dolma, or mahshi as it is called in Egypt, is typically eaten during the summer. Stuffed vine leaves without any meat, called yalanchi dolma in Turkish and Western Armenian, are served at room temperature. 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. Armenian cooks sometimes use rose hip syrup to flavor stuffed cabbage rolls. Cabbage rolls are also known as lahana dolmasi in Turkey and kələm dolması in Azerbaijan. Mülebbes dolma is a historic recipe from the Ottoman era. Şalgam dolma are stuffed Russian turnips. 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. Celery root may be substituted for the artichoke. Eggplant dolma is a dish popular in a few countries. In Armenia, It is called lts’onats smbuk or smbukov dolma () 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, cinammon, 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. 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. In the Arab world, this dish is known as makdous (). 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. 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. Seafood There are also seafood variants of dolma. Stuffed mussels (; ) may be filled with rice, onion, black pepper, allspice, lemon juice, pine nuts and salt. The filling for stuffed squid 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. Stuffed mackerel (, ), or stuffed trout () 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. Stuffed sardines () are often filled with kasseri cheese, tomato, onion, basil and parsley.In Greece and Turkey, stuffed sardines may be served as a mezze platter at traditional eateries called taverna, or meyhane. 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. 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. 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. Fruit-based dolmas There are some fruit-based dolmas as well like stuffed quinces (, , ). There are many variations of this dish. One has a rice and currant filling, flavored with coriander, cinnamon and sugar. Another variation uses meat and bulgur to stuff the quince that is then flavored with grape syrup. 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. This type of stuffed quinces is called Etchmiadzin Dolma. 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. Grape syrup is also an ingredient in the meat-based variants of stuffed apples. and stuffed yellow plums. Persian Jews may serve stuffed quince, called dolma bay, as a Sabbath meal or during Sukkot. Stuffed apples (, , ) 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. 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. Other variations Stuffed sorrel (, ) is a generic name for meals made of sorrel leaves stuffed with meat (lamb) and rice, or more rarely rice only. Stuffed mallow (; Arabic: خبازة محشية; Hebrew: עלי חלמית ממולאים, romanized: ''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. ==Religious celebrations and customs==

It is customary for Jewish families to eat holishkes cabbage rolls on Simchat Torah. 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. Stuffed vegetables called gemista or tsounidis are also common in Greek cuisine. 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. ==Controversy==

The origin of dolma is a subject of dispute in the region, particularly between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. 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. Azerbaijani and sources in other languages, in turn, point to a Turkic origin for the name (dolma) and the dish itself. ==See also==