In East Slavic cuisine, zapekanka () is a cheesecake whose base constitutes a pureed ingredient and a binding component.
The most common type is farmer cheese zapekanka, a sweet dish made from farmer's cheese (known as tvorog), eggs, sugar, and semolina (known as manka in Russian) or flour."Запеканка", in: William Pokhlyobkin, Кулинарный словарь [Culinary Dictionary], 2015, p. 119 Zapekanka was one of the simple staple foods in the former Soviet Union. Ingredients like raisins or other fruits are often added to the sweet version.Anastasia Bondarenko, Zapekanka with Raisins
Savory versions are also common, with bases such as mashed potatoes, shredded cabbage, cauliflower, or pasta, often including minced meat, mushrooms or other vegetables. While savory zapekankas are similar to Western dishes like gratin, the sweet cottage cheese version resembles a baked pudding.Старый знакомый - запеканка or a crustless cheesecake.
The Russian dish Картофельная запеканка () was similar to a cottage pie, with mashed potato, minced pork or beef, and mashed potato layers, and was often served with smetana. It was a staple of Soviet cafeterias.
See also Cheesecake
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