Stuffed Vine Leaves

The tradition of wrapping rice, herbs and aromatics into a leaf traces its roots to ancient Persia, where it began as a vegetarian dish designed for religious observance. The Ottomans then embraced and refined the concept, naming it dolma, meaning “to stuff”. Trade routes spread the dish around vast territories from the Balkans to Egypt, Iraq and the Levant. Each culture added its own ingredient, whether minced lamb, tangy pomegranate molasses or splashes of lemon. In Egypt, this dis