Whenever I post a recipe like this, I just know there is going to be an argument about it on my social media. As soon as I announce a recipe as Greek, there are people angry with me as the dish isn’t really Greek, it’s Turkish, it’s Armenian, it’s Lebanese etc. You get the gist. This happens every time. Even when I post a recipe I grew up on, like pierogi for example, I get told that they are Russian, not Polish. That’s the beauty of the Internet I guess, everyone knows best…
The truth is that this kind of dish is popular all over the Mediterranean and the Middle East and every country has their own set of ingredients that they tend to gravitate towards. The Greek version, which I am most familiar with, tends to be big on lemon, dill and mint. Other cuisines incorporate things like spices (cumin and allspice), dried fruit (sultanas), nuts (pine nuts) and tomatoes in their vegetarian dolmades and I am sure all of them are equally delicious. There is a good reason why these cuisines are so intertwined after all (like a 400 year long Turkish occupation of Greece, for instance) as well as a similar climate conducive to relying on the same kind of produce, so let’s refrain from nationalism and enjoy the food for what it is. I think that nationalism is everything that’s wrong with the world right now. The need to consume food and the propensity for food-related enjoyment is what brings us all together and makes us all human after all. As far as I am concerned, where a dish comes from is not really that important as long as it’s nourishing and tasty. These dolmadakia (dimunitive of dolmades as they are rather small in stature) are inspired by those we used to enjoy in our favourite Paros taverna called Halaris. It was a family run fish taverna but their vegetarian mezze was delicious. We used to go there when we really needed a break from work, sit in the sunshine, enjoy a glass of chilled wine and a selection of mezze while staring at the blue water. Their dolmadakia was something we always ordered as it was so well judged, fragrant with herbs and distinctly lemony and cooked to perfection. This is my take on that dish. Dolmadakia is always going to take me back to when we both decided to ditch everything we knew and move to a remote Greek island in the middle of the Aegean. It was a fantastic experience and even though we decided to move back to the UK after 4 years, we don’t regret it one bit, although that experience challenged us in my ways. For starters, if not for that decision you would not be reading my stream of consciousness right now (it would have been such a shame, right 😉 ?) as I would still be miserably stuck in my 9-5 without a clue that there is another, better way. Feel the fear and do it anyway as they say, right? Facing that fear was certainly very very worth it. Hope you’ll enjoy my Greek-style dolmades and have a great weekend!
neutral tasting vegan yogurt or 135 g / 1 cup cashews or 100 g / 1 cup sunflower seeds 1 garlic clove, finely grated lemon juice, to taste salt and pepper
COOKING DIPPING SAUCE (make a day ahead)
My recipe is adapted from this recipe.
