Now we share the secret of the legendary stuffed cabbage from Szabolcs County

Stuffed cabbage is undoubtedly one of the most popular dishes of Hungarian cuisine, which should never be missing from table when celebrating. Almost without exception, everyone loves it, and everyone does it a little differently. But where does this tasty dish come from, what goes into it, and what makes the version from Szabolcs so special?

Besides wars, destruction and oppression, more than half a century of Turkish rule also left a deep cultural mark on our country – especially in architecture and gastronomy. Stuffed cabbage is also a dish of Turkish origin, the Hungarian version of which spread in our country after the conquest. The dumplings are typically wrapped in grape leaves and the meat is lamb, according to the Islamic religion. The Turkish name of the dish is “sarma”, which means wrapped or covered. It is also the name with which stuffed cabbage spread in Balkan countries, and the Hungarian Gypsy cuisine also calls it this.

The preparation of stuffed cabbage is also very different in Hungary. Not only by region, but also by family, there are differences in ingredients, preparation and cooking. Several types of chopped or minced meat can be added to sour or sweet cabbage leaves. You can add rice, cornmeal, millet gruel or even buckwheat to the filling. It can be seasoned with smoked meats, bacon, sausages, and in addition to salt, pepper and paprika, it can also be seasoned with dill or summer savory. Vegetarians can also prepare it with mushrooms and/or porridge.

The first and most important rule when making stuffed cabbage is to choose flat head cabbage. It is due to the fact that this variety has a thin, overarching leaf with thin ribs that can be easily broken down to the stem, making it the perfect base for your dish. Once the stem is cut out, confit the cabbage head in boiling water to break it into leaves, then cut the whole leaves in two or three pieces. This will give us our characteristic tiny stuffed cabbages, which we bed with thinly sliced, thicker leaves close to the stem. The ingredients for our stuffing are minced pork shoulder, onions fried in lard and large grits. When it comes to seasoning, the Szabolcs version is more modest than its counterparts: the holy trinity of salt, pepper and paprika in the right proportions will give your dish the flavour base. The stuffing technique is also different in this version, as you only stuff one end of the cabbage leaves into the stuffing when rolling up the cabbage leaves, leaving the other end pointed. It can be a little tricky at first, but do not give up – as the saying goes, practice makes perfect! In the pot, the first layer is half of the thinly sliced cabbage, topped with sausage rings and bacon strips, then the fillings are layered in a circular pattern, tightly arranged next to each other. Cover with the remaining cabbage and pour in house-made tomato juice, just enough to cover the contents of the pot. Cook for about an hour until the cabbage softens, then serve with sour cream and fresh bread.