Side, Snack, Appetizer
Holubtsi
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 of north africa.
meat fillings are traditional in europe, and include beef, lamb, or pork seasoned with garlic, onion, and spices. grains such as rice and barley, mushrooms, and vegetables are often included as well. fermented cabbage leaves are used for wrapping, particularly in southeastern europe. in asia, seafoods, tofu, and shiitake mushrooms may also be used. chinese cabbage is often used as a wrapping.
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. 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 and sour cream are typical. in lebanon, the cabbage is stuffed with rice and minced meat and only rolled to the size of a cigar. it is usually served with a side dish of yogurt and a type of lemon and olive oil vinaigrette seasoned with garlic and dried mint.
the cabbage roll is a staple in romanian cuisine with variations of the recipe and sizing depending on the region, typically taking up to 6 hours to cook. traditionally made with pork, beef, bacon, rice, spices and aromatics, broiled in a tomato sauce and served with polenta, sour cream and spicy pickled peppers.
nancy krcek allen, who wrote a cooking textbook, stated that the origins are unclear and that it is possible multiple groups of people invented it at the same time. a version called holishkes is traditionally eaten by jews on simchat torah; stuffed cabbage is described by gil marks to have entered jewish cooking some 2,000 years ago. recipes vary depending on region; northern poles prefer a savory sauce, while galicia and ukraine favor sweet-and-sour, for example.
