Casserole

The rich and nutritious torly is an Egyptian mixed vegetable casserole with chunks of beef, lamb or chicken dispersed throughout it. The most common vegetables include potatoes, zucchini, carrots, and onions, while tomato sauce is used as a binding agent. In order to prepare it, a layer of cooked meat is topped with a layer of vegetables, and the process is repeated until the last layer, which is typically meat. The casserole is often topped with sliced tomatoes before baking.

Torly

Brazil

Torta capixaba is a traditional and complex Brazilian dish originating from Espirito Santo. This seafood pie is made with a massive list of ingredients: fish such as sea bass, hake, and grouper, mussels, siri crabmeat, salt cod, shrimp, olive oil, garlic, onions, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, red bell peppers, coconut milk, cloves, cinnamon, palm hearts, olives, and eggs. The onions and garlic are saut&eacute;ed, followed by the tomatoes, cilantro, red peppers and green onions. The combination is simmered with added fish, mussels, crabmeat, shrimp, and salt cod. The other ingredients are then added to the pot, and the combination is simmered until the liquid has almost evaporated. Scrambled eggs are added to the pan, and the mix is then baked in a clay casserole dish until the eggs set. Torta capixaba is often garnished with tomato and onions slices on top, which should be baked until golden and the dish is then served warm. It dates back to the 19th century, when it was served during the meatless days of Easter week. Nowadays, it's prepared throughout the year, but it's especially popular on Easter Sunday.

Torta capixaba

Tuna casserole is an American dish consisting of pasta or noodles, canned tuna, various vegetables, and creamed, condensed soup. After the casserole has been baked, it is often topped with potato chips, crumbled crackers, or breadcrumbs in order to provide extra crunch. The dish gained popularity during the 1950s because the ingredients were affordable and inexpensive, while the whole casserole could easily feed a whole family in about 30 minutes. It can also be frozen and prepared later, making it a great convenience food and a potluck staple.

Tuna Casserole

Romania

An authentic Transylvanian specialty, varză a la Cluj consists of sour cabbage, minced meat, and rice. The sour cabbage is first cooked, and then combined with a mixture of seasoned minced meat, onions, and rice in a casserole dish, traditionally in alternating layers. Often topped with a mixture of sour cream and milk, the dish is sometimes flavored with tomato sauce or sour cream between layers. A version of this Romanian dish, mentioned in a 1695 cookbook, called for a combination of minced cabbage and a variety of meats, including beef, ham, chicken, or goose, all seasoned with salt, pepper, and ginger. This traditional cabbage dish is a local specialty in Cluj-Napoca, served in numerous restaurants throughout the city. It is usually eaten hot, accompanied by hot peppers, sour cream, and mămăligă on the side.

Varză a la Cluj

Italy

Verzata is a traditional dish originating from Lombardy. The dish consists of Savoy cabbage that's braised in a soffrito with butter and pancetta, then mixed with pork rind strips and small sausages. The ingredients usually include Savoy cabbage, butter, onions, carrots, celery, pancetta, pork rinds, sausages, stock, lard, sage, salt, and pepper. The dish is especially popular in winter. When served, sliced of bread are often placed into soup plates, then topped with the stew, and the dish is accompanied by grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on the side.

Verzata

Vinciscgrassi is a traditional pasta dish originating from Marche. This multi-layered baked lasagna dish doesn't have a definitive recipe since every cook and local kitchen makes their own personal version. However, apart from the sheets of lasagne pasta, most vincisgrassi versions include b&eacute;chamel sauce and a rag&ugrave; that contains pancetta, prosciutto crudo, onions, garlic, celery, carrots, white wine, tomato pur&eacute;e, and chicken giblets. There are also versions with added ground meat, brains, sweetbreads, and chicken livers. Once assembled and sprinkled with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, vincisgrassi is slowly baked in the oven until the top becomes golden. The dish is supposedly named after the Austrian Prince Alfred zu Windisgr&auml;tz, who commanded the troops occupying Ancona in 1799.

Vincisgrassi

Ukraine

White mushrooms &agrave; la Hutsul is a traditional dish originating from the western parts of the country. The dish is usually made with a combination of white mushrooms, onions, butter, cream, flour, hard cheese, salt, and pepper. The mushrooms are boiled and cut into smaller pieces. The onions are chopped and fried in butter until golden. The mushrooms are added to the pan, the mixture is seasoned with salt and pepper, and it's fried for a few more minutes. The mushroom-onion mixture is placed into a clay or ceramic pot and it's covered with a sauce consisting of flour, butter, and cream. Hard cheese is grated over the top and the dish is then baked in the oven until the cheese melts and the top is bubbling.

White Mushrooms à la Hutsul

Japan

Yaki karē or baked curry is prepared by placing steamed rice in a baking dish, covering it with curry sauce, then topping the whole thing with cheese and broiling it until the cheese starts to bubble up. In some cases, a raw egg is placed on top of the dish before baking. It is believed that yaki karē was invented in 1955 in the seaside city of Mojiko. Nowadays, the dish is quite often served with breaded and fried chicken or pork known as tonkatsu on the side.

Yaki karē

Dominican Republic

Yaroa is a traditional dish originating from Santiago in the Dominican Republic. This casserole is prepared in many versions throughout the country, but it's most often made with mashed sweet plantains, beef (although pork and chicken can also be used), cheese, fries, and condiments such as mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard. This layered dish is usually bought from food truck vendors and it's often enjoyed as a street food snack after midnight. Yaroa is beloved by club-goers and it's traditionally served in a styrofoam to-go box.

Yaroa

Israel

Yerushalmi kugel is a savory casserole made with thin cooked noodles that are coated in caramelized sugar. After it is mixed with eggs, olive oil, pepper, and salt, the combination is placed in a pan and then baked until firm. The dish first appeared in the 18th century, when European Jews brought culinary traditions of preparing similar baked casseroles. As the name suggests, the dish originated in Jerusalem (Yerushal&aacute;yim), where it is still popular and available at bakeries and street markets. It is also a staple dish served on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. Yerushalmi kugel can be baked in round or rectangular pans.

Yerushalmi Kugel

Yogurtlitava is a traditional North Macedonian spring dish that combines meat, rice, and a mixture of eggs and yogurt or sour milk baked in a casserole pot. It is normally prepared with lamb, but veal, beef, or any other type of meat can serve as a replacement. This dish is traditionally prepared for Easter in many households across the country, but especially in Bitola, where the family lunch gatherings for this holiday are incomplete without it. The dish is usually accompanied by scallions, fresh salads, and a glass of red wine. Yogurtlitava is similar to another traditional North Macedonian dish called Elbasan tava, which is considered a national dish in Albania, where it is known as tav&euml; kosi.

Yogurtlitava

Poland

Żebroczka is a traditional casserole originating from Silesia. The dish is usually made with a combination of potatoes, rice, milk, bacon, onion, garlic, caraway, marjoram, salt, and black pepper. The onions and garlic are fried in bacon fat, and then mixed with grated potatoes and boiled rice. The mixture is seasoned with salt, pepper, marjoram, and caraway, and milk is stirred into the mixture, which is then placed into an ovenproof dish and baked in the oven. Once the edges become slightly burnt, the casserole is ready to be enjoyed.

Żebroczka

Although the name might suggest differently, zuppa Gallurese, also called suppa cuata, isn&rsquo;t a soup at all. The broth is one of the ingredients, but the dish itself is more of a casserole, made with alternating layers of broth-soaked bread and various cheeses, so the name probably comes from the verb inzuppare, meaning to soak. The dish is finished with a generous topping of grated cheese (usually a combination of both hard and soft cheeses such as pecorino, cacciocavallo, and fontina) and it is then baked until golden and bubbly. Zuppa Gallurese can be made with stale bread or the crispy pane carasau &ndash; when these paper-thin sheets of bread are used, the dish becomes very similar to lasagne. Popular both as a main dish and a side, zuppa Gallurese is best enjoyed hot, served with a fresh green salad on the side.