Samosa

:For the Nicaraguan dictator(s), see Somoza

Name	Samosa
Caption	Samosa with chutney from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, India
Alternate name	Samsa, Somsa, Sambosak, Sambusa, Samoosa, Singada
Region	South Asia, Central Asia, Western Asia, the Horn of Africa, North Africa, South Africa
Main ingredient	maida, potato, onion, spices, green chili, cheese, meat
Variations	Chamuça

A samosa is a stuffed pastry and a popular snack in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, Southwest Asia, the Horn of Africa, North Africa and South Africa. It generally consists of a fried or baked triangular, semi-lunar or tetrahedral pastry shell with a savory filling, which may include spiced potatoes, onions, peas, coriander, and lentils, or ground beef or chicken. The size and shape of a samosa as well as the consistency of the pastry used can vary considerably, although it is mostly triangular. Samosas are often served with chutney.

Name variation

Samosa () () Is used in South Asia and South East Asian countries like Nepal, , , , , , , , , sambusak (), samsa (pronounced ) or somsa in Turkic Central Asia (, ; , , , ) as well as Turkey (), sambusa among Arabs, Ethiopians, Somalis () and Tajiks (), sanbusé among Iranians (), samuza (, ) among Burmese or chamuça in the Lusophone world.

Etymology

The word samosa can be traced to the Persian "sanbosag".

History

.]] The Samosa has been a popular snack in South Asia for centuries. It is believed that it originated in Central Asia (where they are known as samsa) prior to the 10th century. Abolfazl Beyhaqi (995-1077), an Iranian historian has mentioned it in his history, Tarikh-e Beyhaghi. It was introduced to the Indian subcontinent in the 13th or 14th century by traders from the region.

Amir Khusro (1253–1325), a scholar and the royal poet of the Delhi Sultanate, wrote in around 1300 that the princes and nobles enjoyed the "samosa prepared from meat, ghee, onion and so on".

The Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th century Mughal document, mentions the recipe for 'Qutab', which it says, “the people of Hindustan call sanbúsah”. Some people also like to add beef in their samosas.

Regional varieties

Different regions which have inherited the dish have significantly different ways of preparing it.

Central Asia

, Kyrgyzstan.]] In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, samsas are almost always baked and never fried. The dough can be a simple bread dough, or a layered pastry dough. The most common filling for traditional samsa is lamb and onions, but beef, chicken, and cheese varieties are also quite common from street vendors. Samsas with other fillings, such as potato or pumpkin (usually only when in season), can also be found.

In Central Asia, samsas are often sold on the street as a hot snack. Samsas are sold at kiosks where only samsas are made, or alternatively, at kiosks where other fast foods (such as hamburgers) are sold. Many grocers also buy samsas from suppliers and resell them.

South Asia

.]] The North Indian and Pakistani samosa contains a maida flour shell stuffed with some filling. The filling in general is a mixture of mashed boiled potato, onion, green peas, spices and green chili, however, meat stuffed samosas are very common and popular in Pakistan. The entire pastry is then deep fried to a golden brown colour, in vegetable oil. It is served hot and is often eaten with fresh Indian chutney, such as Mentha (mint), coriander or tamarind. It can also be prepared as a sweet form, rather than as a savory one. Samosas are often served in chaat, along with the traditional accompaniments of yogurt, chutney, chopped onions and coriander, and chaat masala. -style samusa are flat and triangular, and usually smaller than their Indian counterparts.]] In South India, samosas are slightly different, in that they are folded in a different way, not as stuffed as in the North, more like Portuguese chamuças, with a different style pastry. The filling also differs and typically features a lot of fried onions, peas, carrots, cabbage, curry leaves, green chillies, etc., but completely lack the mashed potato filling of its northern variation. It is mostly eaten without chutney.

In Pakistan, the Faisalabadi samosas are very well known. They are abnormally large, topped with a red and white chutney with a side portion of onion salad. The filling is usually mixed vegetable, however the meat version also remains very popular. Another version, popular in eastern Punjab consists of samosas with side dishes of mashed, spiced chickpeas, onion and coriander salad as well as various chutneys to top the samosas.

They are called samusa in Burmese, and are an extremely popular snack in Burma.

In Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, a smaller version of the samosa with a thicker pastry crust and mince-meat filling referred to as Lukhmi is consumed, as is another variation with onion fillings.

Horn of Africa

sambusas (samosas) being deep fried.]]

Samosas are a staple of local cuisine in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia, where they are known as sambusa. While sambusas can be eaten any time of the year, they are usually reserved for special occasions such as Ramadan, Christmas or Meskel.

Middle East

In the Middle East, sambusak is often semicircular and filled with minced meat and onions, spinach, feta or halloumi cheese, or minced chicken. In Israel, sambusak is usually filled with mashed chickpeas. It is associated with Sephardic Jewish cuisine and considered an Iraqi dish.

Lusophone world

n chamuças.]] In Goa and Portugal, samosas are known as chamuças, usually filled with chicken, beef, pork, or vegetables and generally quite hot. They are an integral part of Goan cuisine and Portuguese cuisine.

Chamuças is also relatively common in several former Portuguese colonies in Africa, such as Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Angola and Mozambique.

Anglophone world

Samosas have become popular in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Kenya and in Canada and the United States. They may be called "samboosa" or "sambusac", and in South Africa they are often called "samoosa". Frozen samosas are increasingly available in grocery stores in Canada, the United States United Kingdom and Nigeria.

While samosas are traditionally fried, many Westerners prefer to bake them, as this is more convenient and healthier. Variations using phyllo or flour tortillas are sometimes used.

See also

Dumpling

Fatayer

Aloo pie

Lukhmi

Bourekas

Empanada

Turnover

Pierogi

References

External links

The Ismaili Nutrition Centre Chicken Samosa recipe includes health and nutritional information and a visual guide to folding samosas.

Category:Bihari cuisine Category:Middle Eastern cuisine Category:Arab cuisine Category:Syrian cuisine Category:Jordanian cuisine Category:Iraqi cuisine Category:Israeli cuisine Category:Palestinian cuisine Category:Savoury pies Category:Sephardi Jewish cuisine Category:Indian snack foods Category:Pakistani cuisine Category:Punjabi cuisine Category:Sindhi cuisine Category:Pashtun cuisine Category:Balochi cuisine Category:Kashmiri cuisine Category:Indian cuisine Category:Uttar Pradeshi cuisine Category:Hyderabadi cuisine Category:Burmese cuisine Category:Dumplings Category:Goan cuisine Category:Pakistani fast food Category:Pakistani snack foods Category:Indian fast food Category:Somalian cuisine Category:Kazakhstani cuisine Category:Malaysian cuisine Category:Singaporean cuisine Category:Tatar cuisine Category:Bengali cuisine Category:Portuguese cuisine Category:Central Asian cuisine Category:Oriya cuisine Category:Rajasthani cuisine