The English wordsamosa derives from theHindustani wordsamosa (Urdu:سموسہ,Hindi:समोसा),[6] traceable to the Middle Persian wordsambōsag (سنبوسگ)[7] 'triangular pastry'.[8] Similar pastries are calledsambusak inArabic fromPersian; medieval Arabic recipe books sometimes spell itsambusaj, which are all borrowed from Persiansanbosag.[9]
The South Asian samosa is believed to be derived from a medieval precursor fromthe Middle East[10][11] that wasbaked and notdeep fried. The earliest mention of a samosa precursor was byAbbasid-era poetIshaq al-Mawsili, praising thesanbusaj. Recipes are found in 10th–13th-century Arab cookery books, under the namessanbusak,sanbusaq, andsanbusaj, all deriving from the Persian wordsanbosag. InIran, the dish was popular until the 16th century, but by the 20th century its popularity was restricted to certain provinces (such as thesambusas of Larestan).[3]Abolfazl Beyhaqi (995–1077), anIranian historian, mentioned it in his history,Tarikh-e Beyhaghi.[12]
The Central Asiansamsa was introduced to the Indian subcontinent in the 13th or 14th century by chefs from the Middle East and Central Asia who cooked in the royal kitchens for the rulers of theDelhi Sultanate.[13]Amir Khusro (1253–1325), a scholar and the royal poet of the Delhi Sultanate, wrote around 1300 CE that the princes and nobles enjoyed the "samosa prepared from meat,ghee, onion, and so on".[14]Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century traveler and explorer, describes a meal at the court ofMuhammad bin Tughluq, where thesamushak orsambusak, a small pie stuffed with minced meat, almonds, pistachios, walnuts and spices, was served before the third course ofpulao.[15]Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi, amedieval Indian cookbook started forGhiyath Shah, the ruler of theMalwa Sultanate in central India, mentions the art of making samosa.[16] TheAin-i-Akbari, a 16th-centuryMughal document, mentions the recipe forqottab, which it says, "the people ofHindustan callsanbúsah".[17]
The samosa gained its popularity due to its savory flavor and convenience. The pocket-sized food item was a readily availablesnack for workers and travelers across Central and South Asia.[18]
The samosa is prepared with anall-purpose flour (locally known asmaida) and stuffed with a filling, often a mixture of diced and cooked or mashed boiled potatoes, onions, green peas, lentils, ginger, spices and green chillies.[19][20] A samosa can be either vegetarian or non-vegetarian, depending on the filling. The entire pastry is deep-fried in vegetable oil or (rarely)ghee until it achieves a golden-brown colour. It is served hot, often with fresh green chutneys, such as mint orcoriander chutney, ortamarind chutney. It can also be prepared in a sweet form. Samosas are often served as a tea-time snack, or as achaat (a type of street food), along with the traditional accompaniments of either a chickpea or a white pea preparation, drizzled with yogurt, tamarind chutney and green chutney, and garnished with chopped onions, coriander, andchaat masala.
In the Indian states ofAssam,Odisha,West Bengal,Bihar andJharkhand,singaras (সিঙ্গারা) orshingras (চিংৰা)[21] (the East Indian version of samosas) are popular snacks found almost everywhere. They are a bit smaller than in other parts of India, with a filling consisting chiefly of cooked diced potato, peanuts, and sometimes raisins.[19]Shingras are wrapped in a thin sheet of dough (made of all-purpose flour) and fried. Goodshingras are distinguished by flaky textures akin to that of a savory pie crust.
Singaras may be eaten as a tea-time snack. They can also be prepared in a sweet form. Bengali singaras tend to be triangular, filled with potato, peas, onions, diced almonds, or other vegetables, and are more heavily fried and crunchier than other singaras or their samosa cousins. Singara filled with cauliflower mixture is a popular variation. Non-vegetarian varieties of singaras are mutton singaras and fish singaras. There are also sweet versions, such as coconut singara, as well as others filled withkhoya and dipped in sugar syrup that are known as Mishti Shingara.
In the city ofHyderabad, a smaller version of samosa with a thicker pastry crust and minced meat filling, referred to aslukhmi,[19] is consumed, as is another variation with an onion filling. Crispy samosas filled with a spicy onion filling are also popular in the city and known as Irani/onion samosas. They were popularised byIrani cafes in the city and are also popularly sold in train stations and bus stands.
In the states ofAndhra Pradesh,Karnataka,Kerala, andTamil Nadu, samosas are slightly different, being folded differently, more like Portuguesechamuças, with a different style of pastry. The filling also differs, typically featuring mashed potatoes with spices, fried onions, peas, carrots, cabbage, curry leaves, and green chilis, and is mostly eaten without chutney. Samosas inSouth India are made in different sizes, whose fillings are influenced by local food habits, and may include meat.
Samosas before being fried, at a sweet shop inKolkata.
Samosas in India
Samosa with tomato ketchup available at Indian coffee houses in Kerala
Both flat-shaped (triangular) and full-shaped (tetrahedron/triangular pyramid) samosas are popular snacks inBangladesh. ABengali version of the full-shaped samosa is called aসিঙাড়া (shingara) and is normally smaller than the standard variety. Theshingara is usually filled with pieced potatoes, vegetables, nuts, etc. However,shingaras filled with beef liver are very popular in some parts of the country. The flat-shaped samosa is called asomosa orsomucha, and is usually filled with onions and minced meat.
Samosas are calledsingadas in the eastern part ofNepal; the rest of the country calls it samosa. In Nepal, samosa was introduced to by the Indian merchants and communities who migrated to Nepal, such as theMarwari people, and it quickly became a very popular snack. Instead of chuntey as popular in the neighbouring countries, samosa is often served and consumed with a chickpea or green pea curried soup. Vendors sell the dish in various markets and restaurants.
Samosas of various types are available throughoutPakistan. In general, most samosa varieties sold in the southernSindh province and in the easternPunjab, especially the city ofLahore, are spicier and mostly contain vegetable or potato-based fillings. However, the samosas sold in the west and north of the country mostly contain minced meat-based fillings and are comparatively less spicy. The meat samosa contains minced meat (lamb, beef, or chicken) and is popular as a snack food in Pakistan.
In Pakistan, the samosas ofKarachi are famous for their spicy flavour, whereas samosas fromFaisalabad are noted for being unusually large.[citation needed] Another distinct variety of samosa, available in Karachi, is calledkaghazi samosa (Urdu:کاغذی سموسہ; "paper samosa" in English) due to its thin and crispy covering, which resembles awonton orspring roll wrapper. Another variant, popular in Punjab, consists of samosas with side dishes of mashed spiced chickpeas, onions, and coriander leaf salad, as well as various chutneys to top the samosas. Sweet samosas are also sold in the cities of Pakistan including Peshawar; these sweet samosas contain no filling and are dipped in thick sugar syrup.
Another Pakistani snack food, popular in Punjab, is known assamosa chaat. This is a combination of a crumbled samosa, along with spiced chickpeas (channa chaat), yogurt, and chutneys. Alternatively, the samosa can be eaten on its own with chutney on the side.
In Pakistan, samosas are a stapleiftar food for many Pakistani families during the month ofRamzan.
Similar snacks and variants of samosas are found in many other countries. They are derived either from the South Asiansomasa or are derived from the medieval precursor that originated in the Middle East.
InIndonesia, samosas are locally known assamosa, filled with potato, cheese, curry, rousong or noodles as adapted to local taste. They are usually served as a snack withsambal.Samosa is similar to Indonesianpastel,panada andepok-epok.
Samosas, locally called samoussas, are a popular snack onRéunion andMauritius as both islands have faced large waves of labor immigration from the Indian subcontinent. The samosas there are generally smaller and filled with chicken, cheese, crabs or potatoes. There are also varieties such as chocolate and banana or pizza.[24]
Samosas also exist in West African countries such asGhana andNigeria, where they are a commonstreet food. In Nigeria, it is usually served in parties along with chicken or beef, puff puff, spring rolls and plantains and are called small chops.
Sambuseh (Persian:سمبوسه) can often be found in the southern regions ofIran and rarely in other areas. However, traditionally it used to be made in the form ofqottab filled with ground nuts (usually, walnuts), sugar, fragrant herbs or spices, and likewise fried in oil. It is used as a confectionary and quite commonly. When meat is used, it is no longer called qottab. This is all that remains of the old "sanbusag" in its ancient homeland. Nowadays, Iranian Sambuseh is often made with asausage andpizza cheese based filling; however, a vegetable-based variety also exists.
Sambusak (Hebrew: סמבוסק) comes in several distinct forms, as sambusak has been influenced differently by Sephardic and Mizrahi cuisine. Sephardi sambusak is generally thicker, baked, and stuffed with either cheese or beef and coated with sesame or nigella seeds. Mizrahi sambusak is generally thinner, larger, fried, and stuffed with curry-spiced chickpea and onion, and is usually not coated with seeds.[30][31][32][33][34]
InGoa (India),Portugal, andAngola, samosas are known aschamuças. They are usually filled with chicken, beef, pork, lamb or vegetables, and generally served quite hot. Samosas are an integral part ofGoan andPortuguese cuisine, where they are a common snack.
Al-Shabaab, the extremist group controlling parts ofSomalia, banned samosas in 2011 over concerns about the possible use of rotten meat in the filling.[41]
^M Bloom, Jonathan (2009).The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture Vol 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 236.ISBN978-0-19-530991-1.
^Recipes for DishesArchived 27 July 2011 at theWayback MachineAin-i-Akbari, byAbu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak. English tr. byHeinrich Blochmann and Colonel Henry Sullivan Jarrett, 1873–1907.Asiatic Society of Bengal,Calcutta, Volume I, Chapter 24, page 59. "10. Quṭáb, which the people of Hindústán call sanbúsah. This is made several ways. 10 s. meat; 4 s. flour; 2 s. g'hí; 1 s. onions; ¼ s. fresh ginger; ½ s. salt; 2 d. pepper and coriander seed; cardamum, cumin seed, cloves, 1 d. of each; ¼ s. of summáq. This can be cooked in 20 different ways, and gives four full dishes".
^Rapoport, Shalom (22 March 2021)."Traditional Israeli Food".Israeli Blogger the blog about travelling all over Israel and daily life in Israel. Retrieved17 June 2023.
^Avey, Tori (9 March 2011)."Cheese Sambusak".Tori Avey.Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved17 June 2023.
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