# Sarma (food)

Sarma (from Turkish 'wrap') is a traditional food in Ottoman cuisine – nowadays, Turkish, Greek, Levantine, Arabic, Armenian, etc. – made of vegetable leaves rolled around a filling of minced meat, grains such as rice, or both. It is commonly marketed in the English-speaking world as stuffed grape leaves, stuffed vine leaves, or stuffed cabbage leaves. The vegetable leaves may be cabbage, patience dock, collard, grapevine, kale or chard leaves. Sarma is part of the broader category of stuffed dishes known as dolma, and has equivalents (such as the Polish Gołąbki) in Eastern European cuisines from the northern Baltic through Romania.

## Terminology and etymology

Sarma is a Turkish word meaning "wrapping".
Sarma made with grape leaves are called yaprak sarması (lit. 'leaf sarma') or yaprak dolması (lit. 'leaf dolma') in Turkish, yabraq (يبرق) or waraq 'inab (ورق عنب) lit. 'vine leaves' or waraq dawālī (ورق دوالي) in Arabic. yarpaq dolması (lit. 'leaf dolma') in Azerbaijani, and dolme barg-e mo (دلمه برگ مو, lit. 'vine leaf dolma') in Persian. In Assyrian it is called ܦܪܵܟܼܹܐ (prakhe) which refers to the fact that the rice is rubbed in the grape leaves. In Armenian, they are called մսով տերեւափաթաթ (missov derevapatat), տերեւի տոլմա (derevi dolma), թփով դոլմա (t'pov dolma) and տերեւի սարմա (derevi sarma). In Greek they are generally called ντολμάδες (dolmathes) but may also be known as γιαπράκια (yaprakia), γιαπράκια γιαλαντζί (yaprakia yalandzi), ντολμαδάκια (dolmathakia), ντολμαδάκια γιαλαντζί (dolmathakia yalandzi), σαρμάδες (sarmathes), or σαρμαδάκια (sarmathakia).
Stuffed leaves without meat are sometimes called yalanchi or yalanchy sarma (transliterated Armenian) or yalancı dolma (Turkish), which means "liar's (sarma or dolma)". 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.
In Bulgarian and Macedonian 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.
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 all through. 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 grape leaf 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, herbs, baked in an oven, and after a while covered with a mixture of eggs and yogurt and baked again. The dish may be covered or even wrapped in caul fat before being baked. All sarma dishes can be served with fresh yogurt on the side.

### Croatia

In Croatia sarma is common throughout the country though there are regional variations. Sarma is typically a meat dish filled with a combination of beef, pork, and rice, wrapped in sauerkraut leaves. In some regions, fresh cabbage is used. Sinjski arambašići, from Sinj, is ground beef wrapped in sauerkraut leaf, with no grains or pork. Sarma is a winter staple and is also traditionally served on New Year's Eve. In Croatia, sarma are eaten with mashed potatoes, bread, corn bread, or sour cream. A sauce made of horseradish mixed with sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, and apple cider vinegar is also used as a condiment.

### Cyprus

In Cyprus koupepia, also known as dolmades, are made with ground beef and pork, rice, and a tomato and cinnamon sauce all wrapped in a grape leaf. Koupepia arrived in Cyprus with Greek immigrants in 1200 BC. Cyprus koupepia use a creamy tart tomato and cinnamon sauce instead of the Greek avgolemono sauce of eggs mixed with lemons.

### Egypt

In Egypt stuffed grape leaves are called mahshi waraq enab (محشي ورق عنب), The filling typically consists of short-grain rice combined with fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, and mint, seasoned with spices like allspice and cumin. In some Egyptian households, ground beef or lamb is incorporated into the stuffing to enhance the flavor and provide a heartier meal. Once rolled, the grape leaves are neatly arranged in a pot lined with tomato slices or onion rings to prevent sticking and to infuse additional flavor. They are then cooked slowly in a broth until tender and infused with the aromatic flavors of the filling. This dish is often served warm or at room temperature.

### Greece

In Greece, the dish is now known as dolmades. In ancient Greece, fresh tender fig leaves called "thrion" were used instead of grape leaves to create the dish. In some parts of Greece today, fig leaves are still used. Nowadays, the fillings vary, like they probably did in ancient times as well. Rice is the most common filling today, which was unavailable in the region in ancient times. It has been conjectured that another type of grain, such as spelt, might have been used instead.

### Romania and Moldova

In Romania and Moldova, sarmale (singular sarma) are popular in all historical regions, including Moldavia, Transylvania, and Wallachia. Sarmale are a central part of Romanian cuisine and are the national dish of Romania. Romania has a large garden and farm culture and Romanians love to make sarmale as they grow many of the ingredients such as cabbage near their home. The Romanian poet Păstorel Teodoreanu wrote a poem about sarmale, comparing it to a “bouquet of spices". Sarmale in Romania are also popular because of their fulfillment which allows one batch of sarmale to last for a long time such as more than a week for multiple people. 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. When preparing this meal for visitors it is critical to have the sarmale soak up the flavor of the smoked meat to make it as tasty as possible. To do this people will let their "sarmale" sit with the smoked meat in the baking dish for a couple of days. During the fasting season of Lent there are alternative versions of sarmale that might replace the pork with smoked fish and include vegetables such as carrots by grating them. It is typically accompanied by mămăligă (polenta) and smântână (sour cream). It is a traditional dish for Easter and Christmas meals.

### Serbia

In Serbia, the classic form of stuffed cabbage rolls has minced meat, which could be pork or beef. In the winter fermented cabbage leaves (sauerkraut) are utilized as a wrap. During the spring and summertime there is a replacement of the sauerkraut with grapevine leaves. Grapevine leaves are used during the summer as they are easier to use than sauerkraut which is usually made in the winter. In Serbia, sarma are the first appetizers at celebrations such as the slavas. A vegetarian version of sarma is eaten during the observance of Lent and on Christmas Eve. These vegetarian sarma can be composed of rice, onions, potatoes, walnuts, spices, and sauerkraut as a wrap.

### Turkey

There are many regional variations of sarma in Turkish cuisine; the following have each received an official geographical indication from the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office.
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 or Amasya baklalı dolması. 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 slowly simmered 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.
A variation is known from the municipality of Arapgir that is filled with minced meat, bulgur, onions, parsley, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, and black pepper, and served in tomato sauce with butter.
Another variation, from Beypazarı, is filled with minced lamb meat, rice, onions, green onions, parsley, dill, red pepper flakes, black pepper, tomato paste, salt, and lemon juice.
Historic to the Malatya Province is a variation made using tender grape leaves from the Arapgir Köhnü grape variety. There, it is filled with minced meat, bulgur, rice, onions, parsley, tomato paste, chili paste, chili peppers, black pepper, salt, and lemon, then cooked in a broth made of tomato paste, chili paste, water, and oil.
A variation from Erzurum, known as ekşili dolma (lit. 'sour dolma') or Erzurum ekşili dolma, is made using a sour pestil (dried fruit pulp) made from Prunus spinosa fruit, known regionally as salur or salor. This pulp is cooked into the stuffing, along with ground meat, rice, onions, black pepper, and salt.

### Crimean Tatars (Crimea, Ukraine)

In the cuisine of the Crimean Tatars there is a dish called "sarma", which is prepared from grape leaves. The name of the dish means "wrapped in". Stuffing: minced beef or lamb, rice, chopped onion, salt, ground pepper. Sometimes tomato paste, some greens, carrots, and other spices can be added to the filling. Due to the influence of Ukrainian cuisine (holubtsi), sarma is also sometimes prepared from cabbage leaves. Dolma for Crimean Tatars is stuffed pepper, the filling for dolma is the same as for sarma.

### Danube Swabians

Danube Swabians have a version of sarma with cabbage leaves, ground pork, onion, garlic, rice and tomato sauce.