When I was marathon training, one of my favorite snack foods were cold rice only grape leaf dolmas. The word dolma has Turkish roots and it basically means "stuffed thing." I dig the Greek style dolmas because they are light yet filling, and you get the benefits of the grape leafs, the good MUFAs in the olive oil, and I like the zest of the lemon. I've tried the hot dolmas with beef and they are equally delicious.
There are many varieties of dolmas depending on the region of style. Besides Turkish, other varieties come from countries including Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Levant, the Balkans, Greece, Iraq, Iran, and Central Asia. Some have meat and some are meatless. Some are cold or hot. You can serve with a sauce or a yoghurt. Some are wrapped in grape leafs, cabbage, or bell peppers and eggplant. Other ingredients can include things like beef, lamb, pinenuts, currants, parsley, mint, dill, leek, onions, tomatoes, apple, pomegranate, quince, pumpkin, and chestnuts.
