Restaurant: Jaffa Café
City: San Luis Obispo, CA

Jaffa Café is a Mediterranean restaurant with three locations in SLO County, in Arroyo Grande, Paso Robles, and San Luis Obispo.

Jaffa Café called this vegetarian appetizer “Grape Leaves w/ Hummus”. The chef said the appetizer is prepared using the Greek method of using grape leaves, whereas the stuffing is Mediterranean.

Dolma comprises a specific style of cuisine wherein various vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, etc., are stuffed with fillings made of rice, minced meat, nuts and spices. The word “Dolma” is of Turkish origin and literally denotes the stuffing procedure followed during the preparation of the dish. Dolma recipes are age old and are mainly popular in and around the Mediterranean areas and the Middle East. The variation of the same is found in certain parts of Eastern Europe as well. Though technically speaking a Dolma is a stuffed vegetable preparation, even fillings wrapped in leaves are also considered to be a delicacy that comes under this category. The best example for this would be the famous grape leaf Dolma. (iFood.tv)

In Greek cuisine, dolma (ντολμάς) usually refers to the vine-leaf version, and there are many variations. Some prepare it with an avgolemono (egg and lemon) sauce, others prefer a tomato sauce. They can be cooked in a pan in the oven, while others prefer to cook them on the stovetop. Stuffed peppers, tomatoes, and other vegetables are called gemista (γεμιστά, ‘stuffed thing’); the stuffing is typically rice-based and meatless, though meat versions exist as well. (Wikipedia)