Polish Vs Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls: What's The Difference?

Whether it's rice pilaf or kebabs, certain dishes span many cuisines. Regional influences may imbue a specific palate into certain foods, but such recipes come in a greater, more interconnected form. An example of such a meal in Central and Eastern Europe is the humble cabbage roll. This blend of simmered cabbage leaves stuffed with rice, meats, and vegetables is especially popular in two difference countries: Poland and Ukraine. So what's the difference between these two cabbage roll styles?

Well, if you ask most cooks, finding the differences is difficult. For one, Polish golabki usually has meat in it, while Ukrainian holubtsi can be vegetarian. Furthermore, Ukrainian cabbage rolls include potatoes more often than their Polish counterparts. Of course, this differentiation isn't set in stone. Recipes are simply too numerous to make any hard-and-fast rules about them. After all, even the names of the dishes are intertwined.

Curiously, in Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and several other Eastern European cultures, the dish translates to "little pigeons" in the local language. Some suggest this came by way of actually stuffing the dish with pigeon meat, while others note that the dish's finalized shape resembles a bird. Once these dishes came to American shores, cabbage rolls became known as pigs in a blanket. The mysterious etymology is also a glimpse into the dish's complex, interconnected history. While Polish and Ukrainian cabbage rolls do pack in some general regional differences, unraveling definite delineations gets tricky.

Classic Polish cuisine is often satiating and comforting. Golabki, which is what cabbage rolls are called in Poland, are no exception. The cabbage rolls are traditionally stuffed with meat –– usually either beef, pork, or a combination of the two. Alongside there's also rice, barley, or groats as well as onions and garlic for flavor. The most common rendition of this recipe includes simmering these vegetable-wrapped parcels before ladling them over a tomato sauce. As with other dishes in the cuisine, a spoonful of sour cream is always welcome.

There are also several versions of golabki recipes in Poland. Common swaps include replacing the tomato sauce with mushrooms, ditching the additional sauce entirely, and using the juices developed during cooking. Some cooks use different types of aromatics or even types of cabbage. In some regions, pickled cabbage is the traditional vessel for those savory fillings, while other recipes go for red cabbage instead.

In addition to such regional distinctions, golabki are also seasonal. Winter renditions turn heartier with an additional side of potatoes, while a lot of cooks opt to add fresh dill when the weather gets warmer. Needless to say, simmering down to a singular Polish golabki recipe is nearly impossible. Generally, golabki are most similar to the Russian golubtsy, although connections can be made with other neighboring cuisines, too.

When it comes to the comforting Ukrainian holubtsi, the range of recipes is similarly expansive. Oftentimes, holubtsi are vegetarian. Some theories suggest this was due to food scarcity, although the cabbage rolls are also a fixture of traditionally vegetarian Christmas foods. Nevertheless, it's important to note that meat-filled holubtsi with pork, beef, and other proteins also exist.

Like with Polish cabbage rolls, rice is a popular filling, although buckwheat also makes a frequent appearance. Occasionally, the Ukrainian rendition of cabbage rolls substitutes rice for beans, crafting a different texture altogether. In addition, the filling is composed of other vegetables like mushrooms, carrots, onions, and garlic. Potatoes — typically mashed alongside other grains — are another ingredient more common to Ukrainian cabbage rolls.

The preparation process is the same. The cabbage is tightly wrapped around the filling and then slowly simmered. While it's not essential, a tomato sauce is also a frequent complement to the rolls. Like in Polish cuisine, fresh herbs like dill, as well as parsley and sour cream, are common toppings. And chefs experiment with their own creative additions, too, adding everything from herb oils to unique spice mixes. So, as with cabbage roll recipes in other world cuisines, the dish is a canvas for creativity.

The difficulty of untangling the two cabbage roll dishes comes down to their largely unknown– and often shared — history. In fact, some theorize that the dish arrived in Poland from Ukraine during the 19th century, and transformed from the pigeon-stuffed recipe into its modern form. Furthermore, the two countries also share many cultural regions, which overlap in their cabbage roll renditions. For example, in the Carpathian Mountains, sour cabbage is employed in both Polish and Ukrainian recipes. And in Lviv, Ukraine, which was part of Poland for centuries, there's a version with potatoes — further interlinking the two cuisines.

Plus, cabbage rolls exist in some form across many Central European, Scandinavian, Baltic, Balkan, Romanian, Turkish, and Jewish cuisines and beyond. There's also the similar, grape-leaf wrapped dolma that's popular in Greek and other Mediterranean traditions as well. So essentially, cabbage rolls have a reach that is broader than simple, national boundaries, and many families across the globe have been sharing and changing their own recipes for a millennia.