Group · Vegetables
Vine leaves
Vine leaves are used to make dolmas, the small rolls stuffed with rice, herbs and sometimes meat, found throughout the eastern Mediterranean. Sold in jars, they are preserved in brine, and that is the main piece of information on this page.
On nutrition facts, canned, they show 69 kcal per 100 g, with 9.9 g of fibre (a very high level), 4.27 g of protein, 11.71 g of carbohydrate and 1.97 g of fat. But they also contain 7.13 g of salt per 100 g before rinsing. These values come from the USDA FoodData Central database, as the Ciqual table only lists dolma that is already stuffed.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 69 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 287 kJ |
| Protein | 4,3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 11,8 g |
| Fat | 2 g |
| Fibre | 9,9 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- Copper1,84 mg184 %
- Vitamin K197,3 µg130 %
- Vitamin B54,27 mg71 %
- Omega-3 ALA0,84 g42 %
- Vitamin B978 µg39 %
- Calcium289 mg36 %
- Vitamin A263 µg33 %
- Vitamin B34,51 mg28 %
See the other 13 nutrients
- Vitamin B20,36 mg26 %
- Iron2,98 mg21 %
- Vitamin E1,79 mg15 %
- Manganese0,29 mg15 %
- Vitamin C11,3 mg14 %
- Vitamin B60,14 mg10 %
- Vitamin B10,06 mg6 %
- Phosphorus34 mg5 %
- Zinc0,4 mg4 %
- Magnesium14 mg4 %
- Selenium0,9 µg2 %
- Omega-6 LA0,15 g1 %
- Potassium29 mg1 %
USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy)
Tips
Rinse them thoroughly, it is non-negotiable. The 7.13 g of salt is the figure for the jar. A generous rinse in cold water, then a ten-minute soak, removes much of it. Without this step, a dish of dolmas becomes one of the saltiest preparations you can serve (see salt).
Never salt the filling. A direct consequence of the previous point: even rinsed, the leaves still bring salt. The rice, herbs and spices are seasoned with lemon and mint, not with the salt cellar.
9.9 g of fibre per 100 g is remarkable. Few foods reach this level, and certainly no other leaf. The catch is that one leaf weighs 3 to 4 g: the real contribution remains modest, but it is not zero over a plate of dolmas.
What matters is the filling. A dolma with rice, herbs and lemon stays light; one with lamb and plenty of oil does not. The leaf itself never weighs much in the total.
Roll tightly, cook covered. Loose rolls come undone; cooking uncovered dries out the leaves. A plate placed on top in the pan keeps them submerged, and thirty to forty minutes at a simmer is enough.
Sources
Average nutrition values per 100 g, given for guidance (spices and condiments are eaten in small amounts; values vary by brand and preparation).