Sogan Dolma is one of the trademarks of traditional Bosnian cuisine. It combines all the main characteristics of Bosnian cuisine – simple ingredients and just a few spices. It is cooked in its own juices for several hours over low heat and is a blend of Turkish, Austro-Hungarian and Jewish traditions.

This dish came to Bosnia and Herzegovina along with the Ottoman Empire. This dish most likely  originated in the imperial palace of Topkapi from where it then expanded to the rest of the Ottoman Empire. Its Turkish name soğan dolması, which means stuffed onions, reveals this dish’s main characteristic – cooked onions stuffed with minced meat and rice. Sogan Dolma is now usually associated with southern parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it is prepared and enjoyed throughout the country. Today, it is usually cooked for special occasions and holidays, especially Islamic holidays Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr.

Even though neighboring regions have various versions of Sogan Dolma, the one prepared in Bosnia has only three ingredients – onion, ground beef and rice. We used DIY vegan ground beef (recipe) consisting of lentils, beetroots, onion, flaxseed meal, flour, mushrooms and seasonings. The dish is best enjoyed with an additional scoop of sour cream or yogurt; we used the vegan option of course.

Preparation of the Sogan Dolma takes quite a lot of time, and as the vegan ground beef needs to be prepared, it is not the simplest and quickest recipe. However, the result is uniquely divine, light and simple, but still very flavorful, and worth the trouble and time.