Sarma (
Cyrillic
, bg, кирилица , mk, кирилица , russian: кириллица , sr, ћирилица, uk, кирилиця
, fam1 = Egyptian hieroglyphs
, fam2 = Proto-Sinaitic
, fam3 = Phoenician
, fam4 = G ...
: Сарма), commonly marketed as filled grape leaves or filled cabbage leaves, is a stuffed dish in Southeastern European and Ottoman cuisine made of vegetable leaves—such as
cabbage
Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...
,
patencia dock,
collard,
grapevine,
kale
Kale (), or leaf cabbage, belongs to a group of cabbage (''Brassica oleracea'') cultivars grown for their edible leaves, although some are used as ornamentals. Kale plants have green or purple leaves, and the central leaves do not form a head ...
or
chard
Chard or Swiss chard (; ''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''vulgaris'', Cicla Group and Flavescens Group) is a green leafy vegetable. In the cultivars of the Flavescens Group, the leaf stalks are large and often prepared separately from the leaf blade; ...
leaves—rolled around a filling of
grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...
s (such as
rice),
minced meat, or both. Sarma is part of the broader category of stuffed dishes known as ''
dolma
Dolma (Turkish for “stuffed”) is a family of stuffed dishes associated with Ottoman cuisine, and common in modern national cuisines of regions and countries that once were part of the Ottoman Empire. Some types of dolma are made with whol ...
''.
Terminology and etymology
Sarma is a
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
word meaning 'wrapped'.
Sarma made with grape leaves are called () or () in
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
, ''yabraq'' (يبرق) in
Arabic, () in
Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Azerbaijan
* Azerbaijanis
* Azerbaijani language
See also
* Azerbaijan (disambiguation)
* Azeri (disambiguation)
* Azerbaijani cuisine
* Culture of Azerbaijan
The culture of Azerbaijan ...
,
and (, ) in
Persian and ''waraq 'inab'' (ورق عنب) or ''waraq dawālī'' (ورق دوالي) in
Arabic. In
Armenian, they are called մսով տերեւափաթաթ (''missov derevapatat''), տերեւի տոլմա (''derevi dolma'') and տերեւի սարմա (''derevi sarma'').
In
Greek they are generally called ντολμάδες (dolmades) but may also be known as γιαπράκια (''yaprakia''), γιαπράκια γιαλαντζί (''yaprakia yalandzi''), ντολμαδάκια (''dolmadakia''), ντολμαδάκια γιαλαντζί (''dolmadakia yalandzi''), σαρμάδες (''sarmadhes''), or σαρμαδάκια (''sarmadhakia'').
[
In Bulgarian, Macedonian and Romanian, cabbage and grapevine leaves are not usually differentiated.][
Stuffed ]chard
Chard or Swiss chard (; ''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''vulgaris'', Cicla Group and Flavescens Group) is a green leafy vegetable. In the cultivars of the Flavescens Group, the leaf stalks are large and often prepared separately from the leaf blade; ...
leaves are called ''pazı dolması'' in Turkey and ''dolmas de pazi'' by Sephardi Jews who settled in Argentina.
Background
A grapevine leaf roll is a dish consisting of cooked grapevine leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings. Stuffed vine leaves without meat are sometimes called ''yalancı dolma'', which means "liar's dolma" in Turkish. ''Vişneli yalancı dolması'' is a variation of stuffed vine leaves where the rice is seasoned with cinnamon
Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, breakfa ...
, allspice
Allspice, also known as Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper, pimenta, or pimento, is the dried unripe berry (botany), berry of ''Pimenta dioica'', a Canopy (forest), midcanopy tree native to the Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America, ...
and mint. The dolma
Dolma (Turkish for “stuffed”) is a family of stuffed dishes associated with Ottoman cuisine, and common in modern national cuisines of regions and countries that once were part of the Ottoman Empire. Some types of dolma are made with whol ...
s are slowly cooked together with morello cherries
''Prunus cerasus'' (sour cherry, tart cherry, or dwarf cherry) is a species of ''Prunus'' in the subgenus '' Cerasus'' ( cherries), native to much of Europe and southwest Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry (''Prunus avium''), but ...
(''vişne''), and plums may be used also.
Vine leaves may also be used to wrap stuffed celery root. Before wrapping, the celery root is stuffed with rice that has been seasoned with cinnamon, salt, pepper, allspice, pine nuts and sugar. (This type of rice is called ''iç pilav''.) Dried fruits like fig and apricot may be added to the rice mixture before the celery root is stuffed, wrapped and baked in the oven. Some variations may include quince
The quince (; ''Cydonia oblonga'') is the sole member of the genus ''Cydonia'' in the Malinae subtribe (which also contains apples and pears, among other fruits) of the Rosaceae family (biology), family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard ...
.
Regional and national variants
Albania
In Albania, ''sarme'' is cigar-shaped and is often made in the northern regions, but can be found throughout. It is typically made of cabbage or grape leaves and filled with meat, rice, and spices. It can be served with yogurt or a yogurt-based drink. It can be a meal for special occasions or during the winter. In southern Albania, a lemon slice can be added while cooking the stuffing.
Bulgaria
In Bulgaria, besides the two main rolled varieties—cabbage sarma (usually eaten in winter) and vine sarma (in spring and summer)—there is also a layered variety called drob sarma (''дроб сарма'', literally 'liver sarma'). Drob sarma is a dish of finely chopped offal (liver and lung), rice, browned onions and herbs, baked in an oven, and after a while covered with a mixture of eggs and yoghurt and baked again. The dish may be covered or even wrapped in fat netting before being baked. All sarma dishes can be served with fresh yoghurt on the side.
Cyprus
In Cyprus ''koupepia'' are made with ground beef and pork, rice and a tomato and cinnamon sauce all wrapped in a grape leaf.
Romania and Moldova
In Romania and Moldova, ''sarmale'' are popular in all historical regions, Moldavia, Transylvania, and Wallachia. Each usually consists of minced pork, rice, onion, eggs, thyme and dill rolled in a leaf, usually a cabbage leaf. The baking dish is lined with chopped cabbage and sauerkraut layered with bacon
Bacon is a type of salt-cured pork made from various cuts, typically the belly or less fatty parts of the back. It is eaten as a side dish (particularly in breakfasts), used as a central ingredient (e.g., the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sand ...
or pork belly and the cabbage rolls, then topped with more sauerkraut and dill sprigs. The cooking water is poured over the assembled tray, a mixture of sauerkraut juice and seasonings. It is typically accompanied by mămăligă (polenta) and smântână (sour cream). It is a traditional dish for Easter and Christmas meals.
Serbia
In Serbia a vegetarian version of stuffed cabbage rolls is one of the dishes that can be eaten during the observance of Lent
Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
.
Amasya and Tokat, Turkey
In the Turkish provinces of Amasya and Tokat
Tokat is the capital city of Tokat Province of Turkey in the mid-Black Sea region of Anatolia. It is located at the confluence of the Tokat River (Tokat Suyu) with the Yeşilırmak. In the 2018 census, the city of Tokat had a population of 155,00 ...
, sarma is prepared in a style similar to maklouba
Maqluba or Maqlooba ( ar, مقلوبة) is a traditional Iraqi, Lebanese, Palestinian, Jordanian, and Syrian dish served throughout the Levant. It consists of meat, rice, and fried vegetables placed in a pot which is flipped upside down when ...
, with different fillings. One version made with fava beans is called ''bakla sarma''. The filling for this variant from Amasya is made with dried fava beans and a coarsely ground wheat called ''yarma'' cooked in a seasoned tomato sauce. The wrapped ''sarma'' are layered over bone-in lamb chops and simmered slowly in the cooking liquid. The finished dish is served upside down. A similar variation from Tokat is stuffed with a lentil, bulgur and chickpea
The chickpea or chick pea (''Cicer arietinum'') is an annual legume of the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. Its different types are variously known as gram" or Bengal gram, garbanzo or garbanzo bean, or Egyptian pea. Chickpea seeds are high ...
filling. Homemade red pepper paste may be substituted for some of the tomato paste.
See also
* Buntil
Buntil is a traditional Indonesian- Javanese dish of grated coconut meat mixed with ''teri'' (anchovies) and spices, wrapped in papaya, cassava, or taro (or other similar aroids) leaves, then boiled in coconut milk and spices. It is a favourite d ...
* Cabbage roll
A cabbage roll is a dish consisting of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings. It is common to the cuisines of Central, Northern, Eastern and Southeastern Europe and much of Western Asia, Northern China, as well as parts ...
* Ladera
* Gołąbki
* Holishkes
* List of cabbage dishes
This is a list of cabbage dishes and foods. Cabbage (''Brassica oleracea'' or variants) is a leafy green or purple biennial plant, grown as an annual plant, annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. Cabbage heads generally range from , ...
* List of stuffed dishes
References
External links
*
Sarma made in Bosnia
Sarma made in Serbia
Sarma made in Romania
{{Cuisine of Turkey, dish
Arab cuisine
Cabbage dishes
Greek cuisine
Levantine cuisine
Balkan cuisine
Ottoman cuisine
Stuffed vegetable dishes
Turkish cuisine dolmas and sarmas
Bulgur dishes
Bacon dishes
Christmas food
Easter food
Moldovan cuisine
Armenian cuisine
Azerbaijani cuisine
Lenten foods
Iranian cuisine
Cuisine of Georgia (country)
Sephardi Jewish cuisine
Sephardi Jewish culture in Argentina
Mizrahi Jewish cuisine
Romani cuisine