This is a hearty dish, designed to entertain an extended family or lots of friends. It’s a speciality of the beautiful southeastern city of Mardin, which was carved out of a sandstone mountain 6000 years ago.

I first tried this dolma at Cerciş Murat Konaği, Mardin’s most famous restaurant (now with a branch in Istanbul), which also serves wine made from white cherry pits in clay jugs. Mardin’s cooking has influences from the Kurds, the Assyrians and the Armenians.</