dolma

American  

[dawl-muh, -mah] / ˈdɔl mə, -mɑ /

noun

Near Eastern Cooking.

1. a dish of tomatoes, green peppers, vine leaves, or eggplants stuffed with a mixture of meat, rice, and spices.

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dolma British  

/ ˈdɒlmə, -mɑː /

noun

1. a vine leaf stuffed with a filling of meat and rice

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Etymology

Origin of dolma

First recorded in 1885–90; from Turkish dolma “something filled, filling,” from the verb dolmak “to stuff, fill, be full”

Explanation

A dolma is a delicious savory filling wrapped in an edible leaf. One common type of dolma is made of seasoned rice wrapped in a green grape leaf. Tender grape leaves wrapped around a rice-based filling shows up in the cuisines of several different countries and cultures, including Syria, Armenia, Greece, Turkey, Iran, and Cyprus. The word dolma means "stuffed" in Turkish, from dolmak, "to fill." There is a wide variety of dolma, filled with meat, grains, fish, or fruit, and wrapped in cabbage or vine leaves, or stuffed inside a pepper, onion, or other hollowed-out vegetable.

Example Sentences

We ate dinner at a family-style dolma restaurant where the food was sure to be fresh, the place having opened just the day before.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2022

The ambassador jokingly says, “We have three epic battles” in the region: “who makes the best tea, dolma and baklava.”

From Washington Post • Mar. 19, 2021

The ambassador jokes when he says, “We have three epic battles” in the region: “Who makes the best tea, dolma and baklava.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 24, 2021

We cook traditional food – dolma, souvla, kolokasi – but I always get Feray’s opinion on flavours.

From The Guardian • Jul. 7, 2019