Ask any Ukrainian what their favourite childhood meal is and holubtsi will almost always come up. Tender cabbage leaves wrapped around a savory filling of rice and meat, simmered low and slow until they’re impossibly soft — holubtsi are the kind of food that feels like a hug from someone who loves you.
At DON’YA Ukraine’s Kitchen, holubtsi are one of our most talked-about dishes. The Tomato — Edmonton’s well-known food publication — has listed our Carpathian Cabbage Rolls in their prestigious Top 100 list in 2024.
The word holubtsi (голубці) literally translates to “little doves” in Ukrainian — a name that speaks to how delicate and lovingly wrapped each one is. They’re sometimes spelled holubtsi, holubchi, or holubky depending on the region, and you’ll also see them referred to simply as “Ukrainian cabbage rolls” in English.
They appear in Ukrainian culture as far back as the 18th century, though stuffed cabbage dishes exist across much of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. In Ukraine, they became a staple of home cooking and holiday tables alike — present at everything from weeknight dinners to Christmas Eve (Sviat Vechir) celebrations.
Making holubtsi is a labour of love that starts long before the first roll is wrapped. The cabbage head is blanched whole in boiling water until the leaves are soft and pliable. The filling is prepared separately: rice mixed with seasoned ground meat — most commonly pork, beef, or a combination — along with onions, garlic, and herbs.
Each leaf is trimmed to remove the thick spine, a generous spoonful of filling is placed at the base, and the leaf is folded and rolled snugly. The rolls are then layered into a pot or baking dish, covered in a light tomato-based sauce, and cooked low and slow until everything melts together.
Our version at DON’YA draws inspiration from the Carpathian mountain region of western Ukraine — an area known for its rich agricultural traditions and deeply flavourful cooking and use of mushrooms. We use a recipe developed and refined by our kitchen team, most of whom grew up making holubtsi in Ukraine before coming to Canada.
Every batch is made by hand in our Fort Road kitchen in Edmonton, using the same care and technique as if we were making them for our own family tables — because, in a way, we are.
Our holubtsi are available fresh at both of our Edmonton café locations, and frozen at grocery stores across Alberta. You can also order them online at donyaukraine.ca/shop/ for pick-up at our Fort Road location.
Or better yet — come to one of our Ukrainian cooking classes and learn to make them yourself. Our instructor Anna teaches the traditional technique, and you’ll leave with the skills (and the recipe) to make holubtsi at home any time. See upcoming classes at donyaukraine.ca/cooking-classes/
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You don’t have to travel to Kyiv to learn how to make real Ukrainian food. Every week, right here in Edmonton, we open up our kitchen at DON’YA Ukraine’s Kitchen
