Stuffed vine leaves: Armenia vs. Azerbaijan
The beloved Mediterranean meal consisting of wrapping rice, meat, spices and herbs in vine leaves has been claimed by many, many countries such as Lebanon, Greece, and Turkey. But the real battle lies between Azerbaijan and Armenia, with both these countries claiming they were the first to stuff the leaves in all that yummy goodness.
In both these countries, the dish is known as tolma. Azerbaijan claimed it as their national dish, and Armenia followed suit with a Tolma Festival, promoting the stuffed leaves as indigenous food. While they’re arguing over who cooked it first, we’ll help ourselves to seconds and even thirds! Yum!
