Considered a Damascus delicacy, fattah makdus is a Syrian dish that features stuffed baby eggplants. It typically consists of crispy pita bread pieces that are covered with a mixture of minced meat, usually beef or lamb, pomegranate molasses, and tomato sauce, topped with fried, stuffed eggplants, and then finished off with a generous drizzle of garlic-yogurt sauce.
Fattah makdus uses a variety of small baby eggplants which are hollowed out and then filled with the meat mixture. This Middle Eastern savory delicacy is usually topped with toasted or fried pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, and some freshly chopped parsley or mint.
Tepsi baytinijan is traditional Iraqi comfort food, a casserole consisting of layers of ground beef or lamb meatballs and vegetables such as eggplants, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, and peppers. The casserole is baked until the vegetables have slightly melted from the heat.
This hearty dish is served straight out of the oven with some cooked rice, as most Iraqi dishes usually are.
MOST ICONIC Tepsi baytinijan
Kugel is a popular Jewish dish and a specialty of the Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe. It is a baked pudding or a casserole that is typically made with potatoes or egg noodles with added cheese, milk, or vegetables. There is no meat in a kugel casserole because combining milk and eggs with meat is considered not to be Kosher.
The name of the dish is derived from a German word for ball. Kugel can be prepared as a savory dish or a dessert, which was first made in the 1600s. Sweet kugels are topped with sugar and contain dried fruits such as raisins. Whether savory or sweet, kugel is often served on Shabbat, Yom Tov, and other Jewish holidays.
MOST ICONIC Kugel
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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 (Yerushaláyim), 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.
Fattah kaware'e is a Syrian dish consisting of a crispy flatbread, cooked cow feet, rice, and garlic sauce. The dish is usually made with toasted pieces of pita bread which are placed into a casserole dish and then covered with a mixture of melted ghee, mastic gum, garlic, ground coriander, and the liquid in which the cow feet have been cooked.
White rice is then spread evenly over the pita bread pieces, drizzled with garlic sauce, and topped with boiled and browned cow feet. This hearty specialty is eaten warm, usually as a main dish.
Fattah ma’adem is a Syrian layered dish made with crispy flatbread, lamb trotters, chickpeas, and a yogurt-based sauce. It typically consists of crispy pita bread pieces that are topped with cooked chickpeas and lamb trotters, generously drizzled with garlicky tahini-yogurt sauce on top.
This specialty is usually sprinkled with fried or toasted nuts, such as pine nuts or cashews, and eaten warm as a main dish. Fattah ma’adem is a version of fattah or fatteh, a dish consisting mainly of fresh, toasted, or stale pieces of flatbread combined with a variety of other ingredients.
Curry doria is a traditional rice gratin dish originating from Japan. In order to prepare this comfort food staple, the rice gratin is topped with curry meat sauce and cheese, and the combination is then baked in a casserole. The dish was invented in the 1930s by a Swiss chef called Saly Weil at the New Grand Hotel in Yokohama.
The first type of doria was made with seafood, but today there are many variations that have been popularized in Japan as yoshoku (Japanese western food). The rice is steamed, the curry meat sauce should be a bit thicker so that the rice doesn’t become soggy, while the cheese is typically mozzarella.
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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.
Patlıcan Oturtma is a traditional Turkish dish featuring eggplants (patlıcan) layered or arranged with ground meat, tomatoes, and a variety of seasonings, then cooked in a flavorful sauce. The name "oturtma," meaning "settled" or "arranged," reflects the dish's layered presentation.
Sliced eggplants are typically salted to remove bitterness, then fried or baked until tender. Ground meat, usually lamb or beef, is sautéed with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers, seasoned with black pepper, paprika, and sometimes cumin, to create a savory filling.
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