Foods To Eat Before You Die #36 Dolma

Dolma is the generic name for stuffed vegetable dishes. By this definition, the Quinois Stuffed Peppers that was my first post ever on here would qualify as a Dolma. The most popular is the grape leaf dolmas, which is what I got. When I saw this, I thought that it was just a vegan egg roll.

While this might be the case for some, these are often eaten with yogurt. The vegetarian rolls are usually served cold, while the meat-filled options are served warm. Dolmas are popular in the Middle East, Russia and Greece. I was at the Bread Garden Market, a store that specializes in organic foods. I was wandering around the store, looking to see what I could find from my 101 Foods To Eat Before You Die list. I came across several jars of premade Dolmas. I carried a jar around with me until I found a more appealing version in the refrigerated section. These were made at a local place, Oasis Falafel. When I got home, I hadn't yet done my research on the food and wasn't sure how to eat it. So I warmed half and kept the others cold. I preferred the warm. These dolma were filled with rice, chickpeas, eggplant, onions, garlic and allspice. The rice and chickpeas provided a nice contrast in texture and the allspice provided a nice aftertaste. What really surprised me was how well the grape leaves held everything together. The flavors are able to marinate and it ends with an almost meaty flavor. This is wonderful to give to somebody that is afraid of eating vegan food because they think that it is bland or has no substance. This will definitely be a food that I will try to make myself.