Facts About Holishkes
Holishkes is a traditional Jewish cabbage roll dish. Holishkes are prepared from lightly boiled cabbage leaves wrapped in a parcel-like manner around minced meat and then simmered in tomato sauce. Sometimes rice is added to the meat filling. While the dish is eaten all year round, it is customarily served on Sukkot to symbolize a bountiful harvest, and on Simchat Torah because two stuffed cabbage rolls placed side by side resemble Torah scrolls.
History
Jews in the Russian Empire and north-eastern Poland adapted holishkes from a dish served by the Tatars while Jews in Hungary and the Balkans learned it from their Turkish neighbors (cf. sarma). Eastern European Jews called it "golub" (dove), because the rolled cabbage in sauce resembled a bird in a nest. The spicing varies by community. Hungarian Jews use a dash of marjoram; Syrians add cinnamon; Persians add dill and mint. As meat was expensive, rice was added to cut down on meat.
Syria