Holubtsi

Holubtsi are cabbage leaves rolled around a rice and beef filling, then braised in tomato sauce. The Ukrainian name is Голубці. The dish is also made in Poland, Belarus and Russia, where it goes by other names, and stuffed cabbage appears across Eastern Europe in many forms. It is best treated as a shared regional dish rather than the work of a single kitchen.

What it really is

Whole cabbage leaves are softened in boiling water until they are pliable. Each leaf is wrapped around a filling of rice, minced beef and onion, folded into a neat parcel and packed into a pot. Tomato sauce covers the parcels, and they braise slowly until the cabbage is tender and the rice in the filling has cooked. Cooks vary the seasoning, the tomato base and the ratio of meat to rice, so the dish differs from one household to the next.

How it's served

• Hot, usually two or three rolls to a plate, with the tomato sauce spooned over them.
• Often with sour cream on the side, and with bread or potatoes.
• As a main course, sometimes after a light soup or salad.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the beef in the filling, since the rolls are otherwise built on cabbage and rice.
• State how many rolls make a portion, because kitchens differ.
• Flag any sour cream or egg served with or added to the dish, as both are declarable allergens (milk and eggs), and ask whether the tomato sauce is thickened with flour.
• Sell a meatless version as a separate item under its own name, not as the standard holubtsi.