Stuffed squash
 Stuffed squash | |
| Alternative names | Stuffed zucchini |
|---|---|
| Type | Dolma |
| Course | Main course |
| Region or state | The Balkans, Egypt, Turkey, and the Levant |
| Associated cuisine | Egyptian, Levantine, Turkish |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Summer squashes, minced meat, rice |
| Ingredients generally used | onions, spices, tomato sauce |
| Similar dishes | Stuffed peppers |
Stuffed squash, courgette, marrow, mahshi, or zucchini is a dish common in Egypt,[1] the Balkans and the Ottoman cuisine, a kind of dolma. It consists of various kinds of squash or zucchini stuffed with rice and sometimes meat and cooked on the stovetop or in the oven. The meat version is served hot, as a main course. The meatless version is considered an "olive-oil dish" and is often eaten at room temperature or warm.
Preparation
[edit]The placenta and seeds of larger, shorter, cylindrical immature squashes are pulled off, and the further proceeding is similar as for punjene paprike or sarma.[2] Often, punjene tikvice (stuffed squashes) and punjene paprike (stuffed peppers) are made together, as a mixed dish.[3]
Name
[edit]-
Kousa mahshi, stuffed zucchini
Variants
[edit]
Canada
[edit]In Canada, stuffed squash is often prepared with tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce as well as with melted cheese on top.[4]
Egypt
[edit]Mahshi kosa (Egyptian Arabic: محشي كوسا) is a traditional stuffed squash dish eaten in Egypt, it is a type of dolma consisting of squash that is cored and stuffed with a seasoned filling of rice and herbs.[5] The stuffing typically includes short-grain rice mixed with parsley, dill, and cilantro, flavored with cumin, coriander, salt, and black pepper.[6][7] The squash are then gently simmered in a spiced tomato sauce, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid while the zucchini becomes tender.[5][6]
Levant
[edit]In the Levant, this dish is flavoured with mint and garlic. In Cyprus, the flowers of the marrow are also stuffed.[8]
The cultivar is called 'Cousa' in Robinson and Decker-Walters (1997)[9] p. 77: "Some summer squash cultivars, e.g. the vegetable marrows (Cucurbita pepo) are consumed when almost mature. In the Middle East, nearly mature fruits of 'Cousa' are stuffed with meat and other ingredients, then baked".
See also
[edit]- List of squash and pumpkin dishes
- List of stuffed dishes
- Sheikh al-mahshi, zucchini stuffed with minced lamb meat and pine nuts in yogurt sauce
References
[edit]- ^ Abdennour, Samia (2005-10-01). Egyptian Cooking: And Other Middle Eastern Recipes. American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 978-1-61797-266-9.
- ^ "Tikvice punjene mesom i bulgurom u crvenom umaku". Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ^ "Punjene paprike ili tikvice". 12 June 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2016.in Croatian
- ^ "Courgettes farcies". Bon pour toi (in French). Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ a b "Kousa Mahshi (Stuffed Zucchini)". EatingWell. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ a b "Rice Stuffed Veggies Aka Mahshi". Amira's Pantry. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ "Mahshi Koosa (Stuffed Zucchini)". OfRecipes. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ Stuffed Marrow Flowers
- ^ Robinson and Decker-Walters (1997). Cucurbits.
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