İskilip dolması facts for kids
Iskilip dolması is a very special dish from Turkey. It's made with tender lamb meat, fluffy rice, and sweet, caramelized onions. This delicious meal was traditionally cooked in a huge copper pot or cauldron, often using a special cloth bag to steam the rice.
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A Dish with History
Iskilip dolması has a long and interesting past. During the time of the powerful Ottoman Empire, this dish was prepared in large amounts to feed the Ottoman army. Imagine hundreds of soldiers enjoying this hearty meal! Today, it's still a very important and popular dish, especially in the Çorum region of Turkey. People often make it for big celebrations like weddings.
Why is it called 'Dolma'?
You might know that dolma usually means a dish where something is stuffed, like stuffed peppers or grape leaves. Iskilip dolması isn't stuffed in the same way. However, it's called a dolma because it shares some similar cooking methods and features with other stuffed dolma dishes.
How Iskilip Dolması is Traditionally Made
Making traditional Iskilip dolması is a big event! It uses a lot of ingredients and takes a long time to cook.
- Each large pot can feed about 150 people.
- It uses huge amounts of ingredients: around 20 kilograms of meat, 5 kilograms of butter, 5 kilograms of olive oil, and 25 kilograms of rice.
First, the meat is placed in the bottom of the giant pot with some water. Then, the rice is put into special cloth bags. These bags are placed over the meat and its broth, so the rice gets perfectly steam cooked. To make sure everything cooks slowly and perfectly, the pot is sealed tightly with dough. It's then left to slow cook for about 12 hours!
When the Iskilip dolması is ready, the rich meat broth is often used to make a tasty noodle soup. This soup is usually served as an appetizer before the main dish. For dessert, a sweet flour helva made with milk is often prepared.
Making Iskilip Dolması at Home
Even though it's a big dish, some modern cooks have found ways to make Iskilip dolması in home kitchens.
- First, onions are sautéd in a lot of butter until they become sweet and golden brown.
- Water is added to this mixture and brought to a boil.
- Pieces of lamb meat are placed at the bottom of a very large, cold pot.
- Some of the hot butter and onion mixture is poured over the meat.
- The rice is then cooked in the rest of the butter mixture.
- After that, the rice is steamed over the cooking meat in a cloth bag.
- The pot is sealed with dough, but a small opening is left for the steam to escape.
After a long time of slow cooking, the delicious meat broth is poured over the rice. The tender meat is then pulled apart and served on top of the rice. It's a truly special and flavorful meal!
