Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale) Recipe (2024)

Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale) are alwayspart of our Christmas dinner! Sour cabbage (Sauerkraut) leavesstuffed with a mix of pork/beef/veal ground meat, slow cooked in tomato sauce with some smoked bacon and fresh thyme.

Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale) Recipe (1)

Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale) Recipe

How is everyone? I guess caught in the frenzy Christmas shopping.

I am an early shopper. I cannot deal with masses and masses around this time of the year. I usually finish all my Christmas shopping by December 1st.

This year I was late, just finished them 🙂 Yupi! Hopefully I did not forget anything. Since discovering Amazon Prime, I barely hit any shops. What about you, do you prefer online shopping or shops?

Now I can focus on planning all my Christmas dishes.

Christmas is always a feast!

Everyone gets to choose what they wanna have and we end up with so much foodthat will be more than enoughfor another 5days. Kid you not!

Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale) Recipe (2)

Talking about Christmas dinner, there are always 2 special requests from my side: Romanian Cabbage Rolls stuffed with mince and Mini Panettone recipe.

There is no way we are celebrating Christmas without these staple dishes 🙂 As I have already shared my Panettone recipe, today we are talking about Romanian cabbage rolls (Sarmale).

Romanian cuisine is not very well known, although has some spectacular dishes (bean soup with hock, sweetbread, roasted eggplant and pepper spread, beans stew with smoked meat and the list can go on…) that I still crave for just writing this.

There is nothing light about Romanian cuisine 🙂

At least traditional cuisine that I was exposed to during my childhood. He, he… I was born in Dracula’s land 🙂 That’s what my daughter thinks of me 🙂

Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale) Recipe (3)

There are probably hundreds of various recipes for stuffed cabbage rolls. Each household changed bits and pieces to adjust it to their taste buds.

My favorite is my mum’s recipe, as you have guessed!

Delicious sour cabbage rolls stuffed with a mix of pork/beef/veal mince and some rice, slow cooked in tomato sauce with some smoked bacon and fresh thyme added for at least 3 hours.

Trust me, you won’t be able to stop!

I am pretty sure you’ll be able to find whole sour cabbage wherever you are in the world as long as there is a small Eastern European/ Polish shop around.

Let me know if you need any information where you can source it from, as I know places in Canada, US (Pennsylvania area) and even Australia.

Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale) Recipe (4)

Romanian cabbage rolls are really easy to make but time consuming, especially the rolling part.I amalways making a big pot, reserving a whole afternoon for this job.

Best part about these cabbage rolls, apart from their addictive taste is that you can have them in the fridge for at least 10 days and they will get better and better.

I heard some people are freezing them but cannot say if it’s working or not because I haven’t tried.

I like to serve them really warm with a dollop of sour cream on the side, toasted bread and a jalapeño on side!

Hope you’ll enjoy it!

Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale) Recipe (5)

Yield: 25 -30 pieces

Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls Recipe

Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale) Recipe (6)

Prep Time1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time2 hours

Total Time3 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs/ 1 kg combined ground pork/ beef
  • ½ cup arborio rice
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large sour cabbage
  • 700 ml tomato juice
  • 10 slices smoked bacon
  • some fresh thyme sprigs
  • 3-4 bay leaves
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Get ready the meat stuffing.
  2. Boil arborio rice till it's almost ready. Set aside to cool.
  3. Meanwhile chop the large onion. Sauté half of the quantity for a couple of minutes, saving the other half for later and set aside.
  4. In a large bowl mix all types of ground meat, add sauted onions and boiled rice, dried herbs, 1 teaspoon water, salt and pepper and mix well using your hands.
  5. Making the rolls.
  6. Remove gently not to break them, all cabbage leaves. You will only need the large leaves to make the rolls. The middle part will be chopped and added between cabbage rolls layers. Cut each large leaf in half, removing the tough core part too to make it easier to roll them.
  7. Add a tablespoon of ground meat mixture to each half leaf. Cover the filling with the edge from the base of the leaf. Bend edges on both sides and cover over the filling. Roll the stuffed cabbage leaf holding firm, so they won't break during cooking time. Repeat these steps until you finish all of your group meat mixture.
  8. Roughly chop smaller leaves or some that broke during the rolling process and set aside.
  9. Place big saucepan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the rest of chopped onions for 2-3 minutes. Add part of chopped sour cabbage leaves and sauté for another 2 minutes. Distribute the whole mixture on an even bottom layer and turn the heat to minimum. Start adding the rolls, creating a first level. Add some chopped smoked bacon, 2 bay leaves and 4 fresh thyme springs and some more chopped sour cabbage. Start creating the second level, putting rolls to the saucepan. When you finish the layer, add some more chopped sour cabbage on top, smoked bacon, another 2 bay leaves and some fresh thyme.
  10. Add half part sour cabbage juice and half part water to cover the rolls entirely. Place a lid on top of the saucepan and boil them on slow heat for at least 2 hours.
  11. After 2 hours, add tomato juice to the saucepan, place back the lid and boil for another 2 hours. The total cooking time should be at least 3 hours
  12. Serve them really warm with a dollop of sour cream onside and a jalapeño, if you like spicy

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

25

Serving Size:

1 grams

Amount Per Serving:Unsaturated Fat: 0g

Traditional Romanian Cabbage Rolls (Sarmale) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Are sarmale romanian or Turkish? ›

Sarmale, the delicious mix Romanian. Traditional Romanian food has been influenced over the centuries by Turkish, Hungarian, Greek, Serbian, Russian, Polish, French and Italian cuisine, but innovations, local ingredients, Orthodox religious customs, preference for pork meat and other specific conditions make it unique.

Do you eat sarmale hot or cold? ›

Romanian cabbage rolls are best served hot, covered with cold Greek yogurt or cold sour cream. 2. As a side for sarmale, you can use bread or freshly cooked polenta.

What does sarmale mean? ›

Sarmale are Romanian stuffed cabbage rolls traditionally served on Christmas and New Year's Eve but also served throughout the year at weddings, baptism parties, and other large celebrations. It is considered a winter dish and starts with the orthodox celebration of St.

What is the most eaten food in Romania? ›

Sarmale is one of the most consumed dishes in Romania. It consists of cabbage stuffed with meat or vegetables and rolled into a cabbage wrap.

What is Romania's national dish? ›

Sarmale (Romanian Cabbage Rolls) is widely considered to be Romania's national dish. Sarmale is one of the most popular recipes with each region having its own subtly tweaked version with different meat, vegetables and local herbs.

What food did Romania invent? ›

Romanian MICI is normally made from a mix of beef, pork, and lamb as well as spices that may include garlic, black pepper, thyme, and coriander. Even if you think you've eaten MICI in other places, well, you're wrong. These are a Romanian invention from the 19th century.

What is the difference between Dolma and sarma? ›

Wrapped dolma, specifically, are known as sarma, made by rolling grape, cabbage, or other leaves around the filling. Dolma can be served warm or at room temperature and are common in modern cuisines of regions and nations that once were part of the Ottoman Empire.

What country invented cabbage rolls? ›

Although the direct heritage of cabbage rolls cannot be certain, it's lineage can be traced back to Jewish cooking some 2,000 years ago. Recipes vary among Jewish communities depending on region; Romanians and northern Poles prefer a savory sauce, while Jews from Galicia and Ukraine favor sweet-and-sour.

What are Ukrainian cabbage rolls made of? ›

Description. Ukrainian meat stuffed cabbage rolls. Made with sweet green cabbage, beef, pork, carrots, onions, tomatoes, rice, fresh dill/ parsley, spices.

Why is my cabbage tough on my cabbage rolls? ›

If your cooked cabbage is tough, it's likely because the cabbage is not cooked through yet. Continue to cook the rolls until they're tender. It's also important to make sure you let the rolls rest after they're finished baking.

What does baking soda do to cabbage? ›

You don't add baking soda. Adding baking soda to your boiling cabbage can help reduce the objectionable smell and maintain the green color long after when it typically turns grayish from cooking for too long. However, this may rid the cabbage of its nutritional value.

Why do you soak cabbage in vinegar? ›

Douse the cabbage in vinegar water, if desired.

Vinegar kills some types of bacteria and helps killing mold and mildew that could have grown on the cabbage.

Is Sarma Serbian or Romanian? ›

Sarma or stuffed cabbage leaves, is the most widely-eaten dish across Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, and all over Eastern Europe. Some places will use beef for the filling, others a mixture of meats and some will even top them off with a tomato-based sauce.

Is sarma Turkish or Arabic? ›

Sarma is a Turkish word meaning 'wrapping'. Sarma made with grape leaves are called yaprak sarması ( lit.

Which country invented sarmale? ›

Sarmale are the cabbage rolls of Romania, made with a filling of ground pork, smoked pork, rice and spices wrapped in sauerkraut and slow cooked until tender and golden.

Is dolma Iraqi or Turkish? ›

Dolma is a stuffed vegetable dish that has so many variations across the Middle East, Turkey, the Balkans, and Central Asia. Although the word itself is of Turkish origin, dolma has been part of Middle Eastern cuisine for centuries and found in Arabic cookbooks pre-ottoman era.

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