A cabbage roll (also stuffed cabbage or "hungarian pigs in a blanket") is a dish consisting of cooked cabbage leaves wrapped around a variety of fillings. It is common to the peasant cuisines of Europe and Western Asia, and has also found popularity in areas of North America settled by Eastern Europeans.
The filling is traditionally based around meat, often beef, lamb or pork and is seasoned with garlic, onion and spices. Grains such as rice and barley, eggs, mushrooms and vegetables are often included in the filling as well. Pickled cabbage leaves are often used for wrapping, particularly in Southeastern Europe. As only the largest leaves can be used, small pieces of cabbages are often mixed into the stuffing and sauce. As the dish originated as a way to use leftover food, other ingredients may also be used in the stuffing.
Cabbage leaves are stuffed with the filling which are then baked, simmered or steamed in a covered pot and generally eaten warm, often accompanied with a sauce. The sauce varies widely by cuisine. Always in Sweden and sometimes in Finland, stuffed cabbage is served with lingonberry jam, which is both sweet and tart. In Eastern Europe, tomato-based sauces or plain sour cream are typical. In Lebanon it is a popular plate, where the cabbage is stuffed with rice and minced meat and only rolled to the size of cigar. It is usually served with a side of yogurt and a type of lemon and olive oil vinaigrette seasoned with garlic and dried mint.
In Croatia, cabbage rolls are a staple diet of the population. In a recent survey 97% of women over 25 regularly eat stuffed cabbage. The popularity of the dish has only recently been surpassed by a love for a hearty bean soup. Stuffed Cabbage with ground smoked pork is a firm Croatian favourite at Christmas.
Typical Ukrainian cabbage rolls can be made from either pickled or parboiled cabbage leaves. Fillings traditionally contain rice only, since the typical peasant diet was largely vegetarian due to the higher cost of meat. Occasionally, the rice filling is mixed with small amounts of meat. Other recipes call for cooked kasha and chopped wild mushrooms or, more recently, combinations of whole grains and root vegetables. Some modern recipes call for tofu or textured vegetable protein instead of meat. The finished rolls may be simmered in thinned tomato juice, beef stock, vegetable stock, or even miso broth.
Variations
Similar Food
- Dolma, a similar dish generally made with grape leaves instead of cabbage leaves.
Sweden
Kåldolmar are Swedish cabbage rolls filled with minced pork meat, and in some cases rice. They are usually eaten with boiled potatoes, gravy and lingonberry jam. Kåldolmar are also popular in Denmark and in Finland, where they are known in Finnish as kaalikääryle (plural kaalikääryleet ).
In Sweden, the dish is considered to be a variety of the dolma, common in Eastern Mediterranean countries. After losing the Battle of Poltava in 1709 Charles XII of Sweden fled to the city of Bender, in Moldavia, then controlled by the Ottoman Empire. There he spent two years in exile, trying to convince the Ottoman Empire to help him defeat the Russians. Charles returned to Sweden and he was followed by some of his Ottoman creditors whom he had borrowed money from to finance his wars. The Ottoman creditors lived in Stockholm between 1716 and 1732, and during this time it is most likely that the dolma was introduced in Sweden.
It is first mentioned in a famous Swedish cookbook written by Cajsa Warg, in 1755. At that time it was still made from grape leaves but they were later replaced by cabbage leaves, being more readily available in Sweden.
Notes
- ^ Ukrainian Daughters Cookbook. Ukrainian Women's Association of Canada, Daughters of Ukraine Branch. Regina: Centax of Canada, 1984. ISBN 0919845134.
- ^ June Meyers Authentic Hungarian Heirloon Recipes Cookbook
References
- Wretman, Tore: Svensk husmanskost (Forum 1967) ISBN 9137082744
External links
- "kåldolmar"
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