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Tolma

Tolma is a Georgian dish of minced lamb, rice and onion with dill, rolled in grape leaves or cabbage and simmered.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 8 ingredients
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Why it works: Dill and pepper match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,630 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Tolma

Timeabout an hour

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the filling

  1. Put the meat through the mincer, add the boiled rice, chopped onion and dill, and season with salt and pepper.

Roll the leaves

  1. Wash the grape leaves, cut off hard stems and spread the leaves on the table in pairs.

  2. Put a bit of stuffing on the wide end of the leaves, fold the edges inward and roll into a sausage shape.

  3. Sprinkle with salt and place the Tolmas in rows in a shallow casserole.

Cook and serve

  1. Pour over butter and the bone stock.

  2. Cover tightly and simmer over low heat for about an hour.

  3. Serve the Tolma on a platter.

  4. Serve with sour cream mixed with grated garlic and salt, or cinnamon mixed with powdered sugar.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

773Calories
35 gProtein
34 gFat
84 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Lamb100g cooked294
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Grape1/2 cup (76g)62
Broccoli1 cup chopped (156g)55
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Dill5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Dill + peppertop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,630 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  2. Rice + oniontop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,433 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  3. Lamb + ricetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together439 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-nonadienal (fatty, green).

  4. Rice + grapetop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together839 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

  5. Rice + dilltop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together206 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (clove, smoky).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Lamb
Provides the savoury, rich filling that forms the body of each roll.
Rice
Absorbs juices and adds bulk, keeping the filling moist and tender.
Grape leaves
Wrap the filling, holding its shape while the rolls cook.
Stock
Adds moisture during simmering so the rolls stay juicy and flavourful.
Butter
Adds richness and fat that carries flavour into the rolls.

The step that matters

Rolling the leaves tightly. Loose rolls can unravel and let filling escape during simmering. Snug, sealed rolls keep the stuffing moist and hold their shape as the rice and meat cook.

Swap the grape

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (lamb, rice, onion, butter, dill, pepper):

  1. Lemonfits better
  2. Limefits better
  3. Avocadofits better
  4. Grapethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against lamb, rice, onion, butter, dill, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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