Dolma can be served warm or at room temperature and are common in modern cuisines of regions and nations that once were part of the Ottoman Empire.

[8] The origins of dolma, as suggested by The Oxford Companion to Food, likely stem from Armenian culinary traditions before becoming integrated into Turkish cuisine.

Jews in Eastern Europe prepared variations of stuffed cabbage rolls with kosher meat—this dish is called holishkes.

In the Persian Gulf, basmati rice is preferred, and the flavor of the stuffing may be enhanced using tomatoes, onions and cumin.

[4] Cabbage rolls entered Swedish cuisine (where they are known as kåldolmar) after Charles XII, defeated by the Russians at the battle of Poltava, returned to Sweden in 1715 with his Turkish creditors and their cooks.

They are known as dolmeh in Iran, dolmades in Greece, koupepia in Cyprus, tolma in Armenia and Georgia, yarpaq dolması in Azerbaijan[22] and yebra in Syria.

[26] Stuffed vine leaves without any meat, called yalancı dolma in Turkish, are served at room temperature.

Cabbage rolls are called Pasuts tolma (պասուց տոլմա) (Lenten dolma) in Armenian where they are of seven different grains – chickpea, bean, lentil, cracked wheat, pea, rice and maize.

The remaining part of the onion is also used, mixed with the meat and fried on oil for a couple of minutes, to obtain the base of the stuffing.

They may be stuffed with seasoned rice[34] or ground meat cooked in fresh tomato sauce with aleppo pepper.

The sumac and Urfa pepper seasoned rice filling is first wrapped with onion layers, vine leaves, and cabbage.

Stuffed mussels or Midye dolma may be filled with rice, onion, black pepper and pimento spice.

The filling for kalamar dolma (stuffed calamari) is made from Halloumi cheese, onion, fresh breadcrumbs, garlic and parsley.

Dalak dolması, widely considered a delicacy of Armenian origin, is spleen stuffed with rice that has been seasoned with allspice, salt, pepper, mint, parsley and onion.

[43][44] Mumbar dolma is intestine stuffed with a moist mixture of ground meat, rice, pepper, cumin and salt.

[45] There are some fruit-based dolmas as well like şekerli ayva dolması (stuffed quinces with a rice and currant filling, flavored with coriander, cinnamon and sugar)[46] and pekmezli ayva dolması (meat and bulgur stuffed quince flavored with a traditional Turkish syrup, similar to molasses, called pekmez).

[48] Iranian Azerbaijanis and Persian Jews may serve stuffed quince, called dolma bay, as a Sabbath meal or during Sukkot.

The apples are stuffed with a mixture of ground lamb combined with rice, salt, pepper and layered in a pot on top of the cooked chunks of kuşbaşı.

[53] When traditional ingredients are not available, the Armenian Christian community in West Bengal, India celebrates Christmas with potoler dorma, a local variation from Anglo-Indian cuisine.

[5] Muslim families often serve dolma as part of the iftar meal during Ramadan and during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations that mark the end of the holy month.