Turkish food
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Dolma is a quintessential dish that can be found in many Turkic countries, and the name comes from the Turkish word dolmak, which means “to fill”.
It has been a staple for centuries and is basically a family of stuffed dishes where wrapped and stuffed vine leaves are considered to be the queen of Dolmas.
Dolma is Turkey’s national dish, and it signifies any sort of vegetable stuffed with a mixture based on rice. For traditional dolma, grape leaves are stuffed with rice and ground meat. Stuffed leaves were first made at the court of King Khusrow II in the early 7th century.
The popularity of dolma spread throughout the Muslim world, so there are numerous variations of the dish. Dolma is divided into two groups: dolma without meat and dolma with olive oil. Those without meat and cooked with olive oil are called yalanci, meaning imitation.
Meat dolmas must always include rice, or sometimes bulgur. As explorer Pietro della Valle wrote, “If it doesn’t contain rice, it is not a Turkish dish.” Nevertheless, the end result is always the same–delicious and flavorful stuffed rolls of grape leaves.
