Turkish stuffed peppers

Biber dolması is a pepper filled with seasoned rice or minced lamb, then simmered until tender. It belongs to the dolma family, the stuffed vegetables whose name comes from a Turkish word meaning "filled". Stuffed vegetables of this kind are cooked across Turkey and in neighbouring parts of the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East, so the same idea appears under many local names.

What it really is

The peppers are cut open at the stalk end, the seeds are removed, and the tops are kept to use as lids. The cavities are filled with rice seasoned with salt and mint, or with rice mixed with minced lamb. The minced-lamb version is packed upright in a pan, covered with a tomato-based liquid made with tomato paste, and simmered slowly until the flesh is soft and the filling is cooked through. The rice-only filling is the meatless version. It is usually cooked in olive oil and eaten at room temperature.

How it's served

• Hot as a main course with the minced-lamb filling, spooned with some of the cooking liquid.
• At room temperature as a meze when made with rice only.
• Sometimes with plain yogurt or bread on the side. Yogurt is a milk product, so check whether it is added.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the filling: "minced lamb" or "rice only". Guests treat these as different dishes, and only one of them is meat.
• State how it is served, hot or at room temperature, and whether the peppers are simmered in tomato.
• The classic filling has no major allergens, but flag any yogurt (milk), bread (wheat) or nuts you add or serve alongside, and name the specific nut.
• Mint is standard in the filling. Mention it on the menu, since some guests dislike it.