Holubtsi

Cabbage leaves rolled around a filling of rice and minced meat, braised in a light tomato sauce until tender.

Holubtsi, meaning "little pigeons" in Ukrainian, is a dish found across much of Central and Eastern Europe under various names, but it holds a firmly established place in Ukrainian home cooking, often served at family gatherings and holidays like Christmas Eve, when a meatless version filled with rice, mushrooms and onion is traditional as part of the twelve-dish Sviata Vecheria meal. The name is thought to reference the rolled shape resembling small birds. Cabbage, easy to grow and store through Ukrainian winters, made it a practical dish for stretching smaller amounts of meat across a larger, filling meal.

The cabbage leaves must be softened first, either by blanching or freezing and thawing, to make them pliable enough to roll without tearing. The filling is a mix of partially cooked rice and meat, which finishes cooking together as the rolls braise slowly in sauce.