What it means
فلفل دلمه ای (felfel dolme-i) is the Persian term for bell pepper or sweet pepper. It is a descriptive compound, not a single inherited word. فلفل (felfel) comes from Arabic, which borrowed it from Sanskrit pippali (long pepper). دلمه (dolme) is a Turkic-origin word referring to a stuffed dish, the same root that gives English the word dolma. The full phrase felfel dolme-i means literally the stuffing pepper, describing how the vegetable is most famously used. There is no simpler single-word synonym in standard Persian.
How to use it
- فلفل دلمهای رو توی روغن سرخ کن. (Felfel dolme-i ro tu-ye roghan sorkh kon.) “Fry the bell pepper in oil.”
- دلمهی فلفل آماده کردم. (Dolme-ye felfel âmâde kardam.) “I made stuffed bell peppers.”
- فلفل دلمهای قرمز از سبز شیرینتره. (Felfel dolme-i-ye ghermez az sabz shiriintar-e.) “Red bell pepper is sweeter than green.”
- یه کیلو فلفل دلمهای ممنون. (Ye kilo felfel dolme-i mamnun.) “A kilo of bell peppers, thank you.”
Cultural note
Bell peppers are a common ingredient in Iranian cooking and appear most prominently in دلمه (dolme), a dish in which the hollowed pepper is stuffed with a filling of rice, fresh herbs, dried fruit, and sometimes ground meat, then braised until tender. Dolme is also made with grape leaves, tomatoes, and cabbage leaves, but the bell pepper version is one of the most popular. In Iranian supermarkets and traditional bazaars, bell peppers are sold in red, yellow, and green varieties, with red commanding a slight premium because of its sweetness.