Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are a Worldwide Phenomenon

Do you know about Stuffed Cabbage? Oh boy, you should know about this comfort food! You see, Stuffed Cabbage has seriously become a worldwide phenomenon like we haven't seen for another such Hungarian comfort food. Why not Google "stuffed cabbage" and "stuffed cabbage rolls" if you have a couple of minutes. You might notice that everybody is talking about this comfort food! I'd like to think that I have helped, throughout the years, encouraging people to express their love for the ethnic dish. And, we know that Martha Stewart has added her voice to the discussion as well.

I honestly can't think of another dish quite like it. But, I am partial to the one that I think is best. You know, it seems that there are so many versions of the recipe throughout Eastern Europe and the world.

For me, I don't think there is any recipe better than traditional Hungarian like the recipe my grandmother Julia Nagy handed down to us. She had a secret ingredient that added that special flavor.

Photo: Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls in cast-iron pot cooking - copyright JaguarJulie.

Stuffed Cabbage as it's known worldwide!
I spent quite a bit of time researching this information to assemble this list. Did I get your country on that list?

* Golubtsy - Russia
* Golabki (little pigeons) - Poland
* Halubcy - Belarus
* Holishkes - Ashkenazi Jewish
* Holubki - Czech Republic and Slovakia
* Holubtsi - Ukraine
* Kaldolmar - Sweden
* Kaalikaaryle - Finland
* Kohlroulade - Austria
* Krautwickel - Germany
* Lahana Dolmasi - Turkey
* Malfoof - Jordan (Middle East)
* Rouru Kyabetsu - Japan
* Sarma - The Balkans
* Sarmale - Romania
* Toltott Kaposzta - Hungary
* Vegetarian - Worldwide

Who Loves Stuffed Cabbage?

Martha Stewart loves making Golabki aka little pigeons; the Polish version. Undoubtedly, Martha Stewart is the brand ambassador for Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls. And, I am the Hungarian version brand ambassador!

Stuffed Cabbage Worldwide Popularity Poll
For several years, we asked our readers to register their votes on their favorite version of the recipe. We asked them to pick just one of their favorite comfort food recipes. The votes are in!

The poll results:

3% Golubtsy - Russia, 21% Golabki - Poland, 1% Halubcy - Belarus, 4% Holishkes - Ashkenazi Jewish, 7% Holubki - Czech Republic and Slovakia, 4% Holubtsi - Ukraine, 1% Kaldolmar - Sweden, 0% Kaalikaaryle - Finland, 1% Kohlroulade - Austria, 5% Krautwickel - Germany, 1% Lahana Dolmasi - Turkey, 1% Malfoof - Jordan (Middle East), 1% Rouru Kyabetsu - Japan, 3% Sarma - The Balkans, 4% Sarmale - Romania, 36% Toltott Kaposzta - Hungary, 5% Vegetarian - Worldwide

2,273 people have voted in this poll.

#1 - The top vote with 36% : Toltott Kaposzta - Hungary
#2 - The second highest vote with 21% : Golabki - Poland

Why do you think these rolls are so popular?

Because JaguarJulie has promoted it perhaps? If you haven't noticed, this ethnic food has become a popular food. Every day someone is blogging about them and talking about the various ingredients that they use. We want to thank the fans for making this a talked about comfort food worldwide!

Has Martha Stewart 'popularized' them? We will honestly give credit to Martha for making Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls a worldwide phenomenon. On her TV Show, she was always preparing some of those rolls!

For several years, we ran a debate asking this very question. I have selected a few of the comments.

Oh yes, I'd say it's definitely because of Martha Stewart!

1. Hard to say. But when someone famous really gets behind something, it usually makes a difference. So I will vote for Martha.
2. I agree that Martha Stewart has made cooking popular again, especially in the younger households.
3. Well, there must be some reason that the homey and comforting cabbage rolls got trendy, I assume that it is Martha, tho you don't need to be a celebrity to know what's genuinely good!

No, I think it has gained in popularity because of some other reason.

1. I think that stuffed cabbage was very popular before Martha Stewart, however, it may have been in my family.
2. No, I would say our Grandmothers made it popular. Thank you to all the grandmothers. =)
3. I say it is a combination. I think that Martha Stewart has helped popularize stuffed cabbage rolls. Stuffed cabbage rolls have been the tradition of many countries so it is not just Martha Stewart alone.

Which country's recipe is the best?

It's a head-to-head debate pitting Hungarian vs. Polish! I've done years of research and have noticed that two countries dominate! So, which one -- Hungarian or Polish is the best? We ran that debate for a number of years, as well. All in all, the results were pretty much the same as our original poll results ... rather a 3 to 2 vote making Hungarian the best as rated by our readers!! Here's what a few of them had to say about it.

Polish is the best!

1. I have to go with my heritage!
2. My gramma' made the best stuffed cabbage. We lived in an area of Chicago where Polish foods dominated and that sort of influenced the way we ate. 'Course, almost any stuffed cabbage is well worth the time it takes to enjoy it.
3. I'd have to vote Polish... I learned how to make them from my dad, who in turn learned from his Polish mother. Oh, and my own grandmother (maternal) used to shop at West Side Market.... as did I, up until a couple of years ago when I moved out of the U.S.!

Hungarian is the best!

1. It's just a dish that screams Hungarian. Like Hungarian Goulash.
2. I grew up eating the Hungarian style of Stuffed Cabbage. We always had it at the holidays and friends and relatives were requesting it at weddings, parties, etc.
3. Well, may ancestors came from Vas County Hungary, and grandma was a GREAT COOK so I'd have to say Hungary has it! Thanks for this!

Thanks for visiting!

So, can you pick between the two; i.e. Hungarian or Polish? Maybe you are a little of both yourself - like me! I've tried a lot of stuffed cabbage in my lifetime and I always come back to my Grandma's recipe. It's got to be Hungarian! You know, Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls are the perfect comfort food! Grandma surely knew best. Thanks Grandma!!

History: Stuffed Cabbage : The Best Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Ever was originally created on Squidoo by JaguarJulie on December 21, 2007. In December 2008, it was voted the 'Best Cooking Lens' in the 2008 Giant Squid Awards Competition for Food and Cooking. On April 16, 2009 this lens earned the Purple Star Award for quality content.

Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Recipes

Are you a little or a lot Polish? I am sharing Polish Stuffed Cabbage recipes to help celebrate your heritage. When I think about the Polish version, Martha Stewart is the one and only person who comes to mind. For many years, I watched her television program. Martha was always promoting those rolls, Polish style of course.

I often wondered if Martha ever tried the Hungarian version. Whilst I gave the Polish version another try not that long ago, it made me long for my grandma's recipe!

See that picture. That is an authentic Polish stuffed cabbage roll. I had that dish at Gaufre's & Goods, Inc. on Aviles Street in St Augustine, Florida.

You can get a variety of authentic Polish and Greek food at this restaurant!

On our Staycation FL in St. Augustine and World Golf Village, we dropped by this restaurant twice to sample their authentic Polish Pierogi and Stuffed Cabbage! They boast "a delightful combination of European pastries, ice cream, crispy waffles and so much more." What's cool about this restaurant is its location on the oldest street in the United States: Aviles Street.

Photo: Polish Stuffed Cabbage Roll in Tomato Sauce - copyright JaguarJulie.

Martha Stewart Polish Rolls Recipe
Includes a Granny Smith apple and sour cream!

Ingredients:
2 quarts water
1 large green cabbage (about 2 1/2 pounds)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic, finely chopped
2 cups cooked rice
8 ounces ground beef
8 ounces ground pork
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 medium green pepper, grated
2 celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped
4 cups tomato puree
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for garnish

Instructions:
Using a paring knife, remove center core of cabbage. In a large nonreactive stockpot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add cabbage and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until outer leaves are bright green and tender. Lift cabbage from water, and remove outer leaves. Return cabbage to boiling water, and repeat brief cooking and removal of leaves until all leaves are cooked. Reserve 2 cups cabbage cooking water. Trim thick center vein from bottom of each leaf. Reserve four large outer leaves to line bottom of pan.

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until golden and tender, about 8 minutes. In a large bowl, combine onion mixture, rice, beef, pork, salt, pepper, parsley flakes, green pepper, and celery. Stir to combine.

Add about 1/3 cup rice filling to one leaf. Fold sides of leaf over filling, and, starting with the stem end, roll the cabbage up. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.

Line a 5-quart Dutch oven with reserved outside leaves. Transfer stuffed cabbage leaves to Dutch oven.
In a large bowl, combine tomato puree and the reserved 2 cups of cooking water. Pour some of the tomato sauce over cabbage to almost cover. Sprinkle apple over top of cabbage leaves. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a gentle simmer; cover. Cook for 1 hour or until cabbage is very tender, adding additional tomato sauce as needed.

Place sour cream in a small bowl, and ladle in about 3/4 cup of tomato sauce from the cooked rolls. Whisk to combine. Add sour cream mixture back to Dutch oven, and stir to combine. Serve with additional sour cream.

Watch Martha Stewart's video for learning how to make her recipe. You know you have to credit Martha Stewart with popularizing THE authentic Polish version.

How to Make Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Check out Martha's various rolls recipes

1. Pork and Beef Recipe
2. Beef and Rice Recipe
3. Vegetarian Rice Recipe

Stuffed Cabbage Taste Comparison!

Lean Cuisine:
Since I was doing a taste test between Polish and Hungarian, I opted to expand my tastes to try some store bought! Lean Cuisine's version tastes yummy for store bought! It's low in calories too! These rolls are filled with a mixture of ground beef, rice and seasonings and served with tomato sauce and mashed potatoes. Of course it's not spot-on to grandma's best stuffed cabbage rolls ever, but it's not bad for store bought.

Nutrition Information: Fat - 4g, Calories - 220, Weight Watchers Points - 4

MealMart Passover Edition:

Many of you who follow my lenses and follow me on twitter know that I was preparing for an Easter visit by mom and her boyfriend. Well, we were all excited because mom was bringing stuffed cabbage. Unbeknownst to us though, mom BOUGHT that version rather than making it.

She had found MealMart's Passover Edition at the local supermarket. It was something new and at about $11.00 for 6 stuffed cabbage rolls, she thought it would be great to surprise me. I was disappointed first that mom didn't make HER own, but I was up to trying a new kind.

I won't keep you in suspense! We did NOT like this stuffed cabbage. Let me repeat myself ... We did NOT like it at all. The meat stuffing was dark and unrecognizable plus bland tasting. The leftover 2 rolls along with what could be scraped from our plates went outside for the cats and raccoons.

I don't recommend buying this -- but rather recommend that you try one of the Polish recipes instead. Then, try my Hungarian recipes and you'll realize you've just had the best tasting rolls in the world ... ever!

Hey there! Are you ready to start cooking like Martha? Get your copy of Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook and get started.

This book is reportedly "the new gold standard for everyone who truly wants to know his or her way around the kitchen."

Imagine having Martha Stewart at your side in the kitchen, teaching you how to hold a chef’s knife, select the very best ingredients, truss a chicken, make a perfect pot roast, prepare every vegetable, bake a flawless pie crust, and much more.

What a thrill that would be, eh? That and a plate of Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls : yumm yumm.

Thanks for Visiting!

Hey, we are so happy that you found this page. What do you think about the Polish version?

History: Stuffed Cabbage : The Best Stuffed Cabbage Rolls Ever was originally created on Squidoo by JaguarJulie on December 21, 2007. In December 2008, it was voted the 'Best Cooking Lens' in the 2008 Giant Squid Awards Competition for Food and Cooking. On April 16, 2009 this lens earned the Purple Star Award for quality content.

Favorite Stuffed Cabbage Recipe Poll

What Stuffed Cabbage Recipe has been voted the favorite of our readers? Is it the Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage rolls recipe or the Polish Stuffed Cabbage rolls recipe? Could it possibly be something else; like a vegetarian stuffed cabbage rolls recipe? Have you voted in that stuffed cabbage poll?

It is pretty amazing that this comfort food has such a worldwide popularity! Growing up, I sincerely thought there was only one stuffed cabbage; my grandma Julia Nagy's Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage. Truly!  Of course, as a child, I got to taste my other grandma's stuffed cabbage recipe. She was of Polish and Ukrainian descent.

It was Easter and the family were visiting those grandparents. First, we were served cold beet soup.  Folks, don't you know that kids have zero appreciation for cold beet soup? Next, came along the stuffed cabbage. Hey, what the heck is buckwheat doing in the stuffed cabbage rolls? You catch what I am saying? Kids don't like buckwheat in the stuffed cabbage.

Later in life, I got to try Polish Stuffed Cabbage rolls locally at an authentic Polish restaurant in St. Augustine. While the filling in those rolls was pretty tasty, I didn't enjoy the tomato soup like liquid nor the large shape of the rolls.

So, we have come to our analytical and slightly scientific poll. It's the poll for determining your favorite Stuffed Cabbage worldwide. We asked the question, "Which recipe for Stuffed Cabbage is your favorite?" We included 17 poll options for stuffed cabbage recipes worldwide.

Golubtsy - Russia, Golabki (little pigeons) - Poland, Halubcy - Belarus, Holishkes - Ashkenazi Jewish, Holubki - Czech Republic and Slovakia, Holubtsi - Ukraine, Kaldolmar - Sweden, Kaalikaaryle - Finland, Kohlroulade - Austria, Krautwickel - Germany, Lahana Dolmasi - Turkey, Malfoof - Jordan (Middle East), Rouru Kyabetsu - Japan, Sarma - The Balkans, Sarmale - Romania, Toltott Kaposzta - Hungary, and Vegetarian – Worldwide

What have the readers determined, by their votes, as the favorite Stuffed Cabbage recipe? Of some 1,270 poll votes cast, it's neck and neck with Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage [Toltott Kaposzta] at 26.2% and Polish Stuffed Cabbage [Golabki] at 25.2%. That's a tight contest! Third place isn't even in the competition.

Favorite Stuffed Cabbage Recipe Poll

How do you feel about those stuffed cabbage poll results? Do you agree? Have you already voted in that poll? FYI ... I voted for Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage as my favorite recipe!

Love Hungarian cooking? Get some of the traditional, authentic Hungarian recipes; get an authentic Hungarian cookbook!

P.S. My original Squidoo page on Stuffed Cabbage was created on December 21, 2007 to pay tribute to the memory of my grandmother, Julia Nagy.  I am eternally grateful that my grandma instilled in me an appreciation for my heritage and for authentic and traditional Hungarian and Slavic foods.

Why all the ads for Stuffed Cabbage

For nearly three years, I have been actively writing and blogging about my favorite comfort food, Stuffed Cabbage. Well before that, I was doing lots of buzzing and sharing of my grandma Julia Nagy's Hungarian recipe for stuffed cabbage rolls as I've always said that her Hungarian stuffed cabbage rolls were the very best!

Over at Squidoo, I have been conducting polls and duels debating whether Hungarian is better than Polish stuffed cabbage recipes. And, I've talked lots and lots about how I really think Martha Stewart has done her part to popularize the Polish recipes for stuffed cabbage. Are you already a fan of stuffed cabbage?

Why do you think stuffed cabbage rolls are so popular?  Do you think it is because of Martha Stewart or perhaps because Jaguar Julie has talked about stuffed cabbage so much?  Which recipe is your favorite for stuffed cabbage?

You know, it was not that long ago that I was checking my daily Google Alerts on stuffed cabbage and what did I see?  Holy mackerel Andy, but I saw that stuffed cabbage rolls have now hit the Nigerian market ... say, you know you've arrived when they are talking about you in Nigeria!  Let's hear it for stuffed cabbage rolls!!!!

So, something else that I've been noticing for longer than a month is the fact that my high traffic to my ever popular Stuffed Cabbage page has been a little off. When I do a Google search, I see that my lens is #1. I do a Bing search, and again my lens is #1 for stuffed cabbage. However, it is when I do a Yahoo search for stuffed cabbage that I discover what I think has happened to my extra traffic.  You see, I'm not the top search result on Yahoo like I am on Google and Bing.  And, it would appear that there is some competition for traffic from LOTS of advertisers!!!  Take a look at this screen capture that I have provided from my Yahoo search.

First of all, do you notice just how many ads there are for stuffed cabbage and stuffed cabbage roll recipes? What the heck is that all about? Do you get it that stuffed cabbage has hit the mainstream of popularity? OK, next ... do you notice some of the websites going after the traffic/hits for stuffed cabbage? I am looking at the top ad ... idealhomegarden.com ... And, even more interesting when you do a Who Is search you see it is a ValueClick website.

Gosh, what do you make of all that ...  Why all the ads for Stuffed Cabbage? If you want the scoop on Stuffed Cabbage and what secret ingredient my grandma added to her recipe, drop by article - it's a five-part series. Check out the various polls, the various stuffed cabbage roll recipes, and drop me a line in the guestbook. Let me know you found me!

Thank You Martha Stewart

First of all! Where in the world has JaguarJulie been for the past 3 weeks and why the heck hasn't she been blogging? Holy moly batman! Dude, that is one excellent question. Gosh, this has been one hell of a month. Hell? Can I say that if this is a PG-rated blog? Oh, I think so! Heck doesn't seem to quite get it enough. Sheeesh, the stuff I've seen this month. I really need to start blogging more so that I can get all of that stuff off my chest.

OK, so I've established the fact that I am 110% aware that I've not been blogging to keep my interested readers interested. I had finished up Summer School and felt I needed a bit of a self-enforced vacation. So, here we go!

You know, I've been thinking and talking about Martha Stewart for years and marveling how she has worked through obstacles to build a credible and renowned brand that just seems to get more vital each day. Well, I finally opted in March, 2008 to put my thoughts together in an article, Martha Stewart is Reading MY Lenses, because there was a bit of tangible evidence to support that fact that Martha Stewart and staff are reading lenses. Yes! We've actually seen visitors from Martha Stewart Living reading lenses. Yes we have! That's OK Martha, we still love YOU! Wouldn't it be pretty cool to actually see Martha adding her comments to our guestbooks? Ah, I'd like to see that!

So, what is one of Martha Stewart's favorite recipes to talk about on her show? Why, it is Polish stuffed cabbage! I'm personally an advocate for Hungarian stuffed cabbage as I remember my grandma Julie Nagy made the best Hungarian stuffed cabbage rolls.

** Have you participated in the Hungarian vs. Polish debate to scientifically assess the better stuffed cabbage rolls?

** Have you also participated in the debate about the seasonality of stuffed cabbage rolls?

Now, it has been established that somebody at Martha Stewart Living is reading our lenses, right? Well, how coincidental is it then to see two search results from a Google search for "stuffed cabbage" as shown in this screen capture. Look closely, for you will see my article on Stuffed Cabbage that I talk about watching my grandmother Julia Nagy make the best stuffed cabbage rolls.

OK, look at the second search result -- Hey, it's Martha Stewart's website -- and it says something about her growing up and watching HER grandmother make stuffed cabbage! I thought that it was her mother that made the stuffed cabbage? Oh, grandma probably taught her mother too! Well, I surely do love grandmothers for they have popularized so many memories and recipes which are sure back in style today. Thanks grandma!



So, "Thank You Martha Stewart!" You know Martha, I've commented a number of times on your blog, but you've been busy in the kitchen whipping up some delightful goodies that you've not stopped by to say hello! Well, hey, that's OK. But, you know, you are missing out on a future guest for your show.

The best stuffed cabbage Hungarian vs Polish recipes

You undoubtedly know that I am the Stuffed Cabbage Queen! I've been talking about stuffed cabbage offline for too many years to report -- actually since I was a young child in Cleveland, Ohio in my grandma Julia Nagy's kitchen. My grandma was the master at preparing stuffed cabbage rolls with her authentic Hungarian recipe. I can remember quite well her telling me that not all stuffed cabbage was prepared correctly. Her recipe included what was the secret ingredient to making her rolls delicious.

Then, along came Martha Stewart who has done a marvelous job in promoting stuffed cabbage with her Polish recipe for golabki. She also has a twist on the stuffed cabbage recipe that includes of all things carrots and apricot preserves. I am part Polish and certainly like Polish food and Polish recipes, but I will save those apricot preserves for the butter horns!

It is incredible how popular stuffed cabbage rolls are today. Stuffed Cabbage has become a worldwide phenomenon. In fact, people are preparing them not only on the stove top, but also in the oven and crock pots!

Normally, I use my crock pot for my stuffed peppers and will sometimes put them in the oven. But, Hungarian or Polish stuffed cabbage really should be made on the stove top in a cast iron pot. Grandma didn't use bacon or put anything to sweeten her rolls. My mom also recently reminded me that grandma used plenty of pepper -- yes, black pepper along with Hungarian paprika.

Want to learn how to make Hungarian or Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls -- authentically? Check out my recipes. Get grandma's authentic Hungarian Stuffed Cabbage rolls recipe -- with that secret ingredient! You know, there is even a vegetarian recipe for Hungarian stuffed cabbage!

Want to learn how to cook the Hungarian or maybe Polish way? Check out these cookbooks that I recommend:

• Cooking the Hungarian Way (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks)
• Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes
• June Meyer's Authentic Hungarian Heirloom Recipes Third Edition
• Hungarian Cookbook: Old World Recipes for New World Cooks, Expanded Edition
• More Hungarian Cookbooks
• Great Polish Cookbooks

Stuffed Cabbage is Popular Worldwide

On Sunday, April 19th, I was surprised by a special blessing when I logged into my Squidoo account and saw on my dashboard that my Stuffed Cabbage lens had hit the #1 spot on Squidoo's Top 100.


If you check the Top 100 in the Food and Cooking category, you'll spot the top food experts on all of Squidoo.  At any one time, you should find a couple of my fabulous food recipes there.

To have attained the top spot for Stuffed Cabbage is quite meaningful when considering that April marks the anniversary of the loss of my grandparents. We lost grandpa Alex Nagy on April 21st; followed a few years later by grandma Julia Nagy on April 28th. It was my grandma Julia Nagy who inspired my top article -- and we all know that grandpa ate LOTS of Hungarian stuffed cabbage in his lifetime!

Stuffed Cabbage Worldwide Readership Base

Stuffed Cabbage is quite popular worldwide as demonstrated by this reader map. Can you name all the different names as stuffed cabbage is known worldwide? Check out that cool list of names of stuffed cabbage as it is known throughout the world.

Do you know that Martha Stewart is always making her version of Polish stuffed cabbage rolls on her TV show? Want one of her recipes for Polish Stuffed Cabbage Rolls?

Why do YOU think stuffed cabbage is so popular -- is it because of Martha Stewart or for some other reason? Weigh in on the debate and check out what other people think about this!