Sarma (food)

Sarma ( Cyrillic: 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, patencia dock, collard, grapevine, kale or chard leaves—rolled around a filling of grains (such as rice), minced meat, or both. Sarma is part of the broader category of stuffed dishes known as '' dolma''.

Terminology and etymology

Sarma is a Turkish word meaning 'wrapped'.

Sarma made with grape leaves are called () or () in Turkish, ''yabraq'' (يبرق) in Arabic, () in Azerbaijani, 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 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, allspice and mint. The dolmas are slowly cooked together with morello cherries (''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.

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 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.

Amasya and Tokat, Turkey

In the Turkish provinces of Amasya and Tokat, sarma is prepared in a style similar to maklouba, 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 filling. Homemade red pepper paste may be substituted for some of the tomato paste.

See also

* Buntil
* Cabbage roll
* Ladera
* Gołąbki
* Holishkes
* List of cabbage dishes
* 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