Dolma is the Levantine and broader regional dish of grape leaves or vegetables stuffed with seasoned rice and sometimes meat.
The name comes from a Turkic verb meaning “to fill,” and the dish has many forms across the eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Grape leaves may be wrapped around rice, herbs, and minced meat, while vegetables such as peppers, zucchini, eggplant, or tomatoes can be hollowed and filled.
Meatless versions are often served cold or at room temperature and may be called yaprak sarma when grape leaves are rolled. Meat-containing versions are commonly cooked in broth or tomato-based liquid.
Recipes differ sharply by region, so dolma is a family of preparations rather than one fixed recipe. The term is sometimes used broadly for stuffed vegetables, while sarma more specifically describes wrapped foods.