In Search of an Authentic Recipe for Etchmiadzin Dolma (Tolma)

12 years ago

A comment recently posted on our dolma story from 2009 presented
the following questions:

“Robyn, can you explain, please – what the difference
between (your) dolma and Etchmiadzin dolma , and , maybe you have an authentic
recipe?”

Holy Etchmiadzin

I replied with two explanations describing Etchmiadzin
dolma – see below – but could not locate a specific recipe for this dish. As
far as I can surmise, the stuffing for Etchmiadzin dolma would be similar to
most other dolma recipes – ground meat (perhaps pork mixed in with beef or
lamb), rice, herbs, and seasonings.

Two explanations for Etchmiadzin Dolma (Tolma)

1. Gayane Mkrtchyan, ArmeniaNow.com reporter, offers this
description:

“Armenian cuisine’s ‘top five tolma chart’ includes
grape-leaf tolma, Etchmiadzin tolma (with cabbage and vegetables), Lent tolma,
Yerevan tolma (like Etchmiadzin tolma with the addition of quinces), and Mush
tolma made of chopped meat and bulgur.”

2. According to Wikipedia,” Etchmiadzin tolma utilizes
eggplants, green peppers, tomatoes, apples, and quinces.”

If anyone reading this can offer an authentic Etchmiadzin
dolma recipe, please email robyn@thearmeniankitchen.com.
It would be greatly appreciated!