A samosa () () (Hindi: समोसा) ( Persian language: سمبوسه) is a fried South Asian
Etymology
The English word
samosa derives from the Hindustani word (, ),
traceable to the Middle Persian word ()
[ Lovely triangles Hindustan Times, 23 August 2008.] 'triangular pastry'.
[Nişanyan - Türkçe Etimolojik Sözlük: Samsa . accessed: 26 April 2021.] Similar pastries are called in
Arabic from
Persian language; medieval Arabic recipe books sometimes spell it , which are all borrowed from Persian
sanbosag.
[Rodinson, Maxime, Arthur Arberry, and Charles Perry. Medieval Arab cookery. Prospect Books (UK), 2001. p. 72.]
History
The South Asian samosa is believed to be derived from a medieval precursor from the Middle East
that was
baked and not
deep fried. The earliest mention of a samosa precursor was by Abbasid-era poet
Ishaq al-Mawsili, praising the
sanbusaj. Recipes are found in 10th–13th-century Arab cookery books, under the names
sanbusak,
sanbusaq, and
sanbusaj, all deriving from the Persian word . In
Iran, the dish was popular until the 16th century, but by the 20th century its popularity was restricted to certain provinces (such as the of Larestan).
(995–1077), an
Iranian peoples historian, mentioned it in his history,
Tarikh-e Beyhaghi.
[Beyhaqi, Abolfazl, Tarikh-e Beyhaghi, p. 132.]
The Central Asian samsa 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 the Delhi Sultanate.[ Savoury temptations The Tribune, 5 September 2005.] Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century traveler and explorer, describes a meal at the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq, where the samushak or sambusak, a small pie stuffed with minced meat, almonds, pistachios, walnuts and spices, was served before the third course of Pilaf.[ Regal Repasts Jiggs Kalra and Dr Pushpesh Pant, India Today, March 1999.] Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi, a cookbook started for Ghiyath Shah, the ruler of the Malwa Sultanate in central India, mentions the art of making samosa.[ Recipes for Dishes Ain-i-Akbari, by Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak. English tr. by Heinrich 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".]
The samosa gained its popularity due to its savory flavor and convenience. The pocket-sized food item was a readily available snack for workers and travelers across Central and South Asia.
Regional varieties
India
The samosa is prepared with an all-purpose flour (locally known as maida) 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.
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 or
coriander, or
tamarind chutney. It can also be prepared in a sweet form. Samosas are often served as a tea-time snack, or as a
chaat (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, and
chaat masala.
In the Indian states of Assam, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand, singaras (সিঙ্গারা) or shingras (চিংৰা)
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 with khoya and dipped in sugar syrup that are known as Mishti Shingara.
In the city of Hyderabad, a smaller version of samosa with a thicker pastry crust and minced meat filling, referred to as lukhmi,
In the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, samosas are slightly different, being folded differently, more like Portuguese chamuças, 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 in South India are made in different sizes, whose fillings are influenced by local food habits, and may include meat.
File:Samosas before being fried.jpg|Samosas before being fried, at a sweet shop in Kolkata.
File:Samosasindia.jpg|Samosas in India
File:Samosa with sauce available at Indian Coffee Houses in Kerala .jpg|Samosa with tomato ketchup available at Indian coffee houses in Kerala
File:Vegetable Samosa.jpg|Vegetable samosa
File:Samoosa.jpg|Vegetable samosa
Bangladesh
Both flat-shaped (triangular) and full-shaped (tetrahedron/triangular pyramid) samosas are popular snacks in
Bangladesh. A
Bengali language version of the full-shaped samosa is called a সিঙাড়া () and is normally smaller than the standard variety. The is usually filled with pieced potatoes, vegetables, nuts, etc. However, filled with beef liver are very popular in some parts of the country. The flat-shaped samosa is called a or , and is usually filled with onions and minced meat.
Nepal
Samosas are called in the eastern zone of
Nepal; 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 the
Marwari 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.
Pakistan
Samosas of various types are available throughout
Pakistan. In general, most samosa varieties sold in the southern
Sindh province and in the eastern Punjab, especially the city of
Lahore, 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 of Karachi are famous for their spicy flavour, whereas samosas from Faisalabad are noted for being unusually large. Another distinct variety of samosa, available in Karachi, is called (; "paper samosa" in English) due to its thin and crispy covering, which resembles a wonton or spring 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 as . This is a combination of a crumbled samosa, along with spiced chickpeas (Chaat), yogurt, and chutneys. Alternatively, the samosa can be eaten on its own with chutney on the side.
In Pakistan, samosas are a staple iftar food for many Pakistani families during the month of Ramadan.
Maldives
The types and varieties of samosa made in Maldivian cuisine are known as . They are filled with a mixture including fish like
tuna and onions.
[Xavier Romero-Frias, Eating on the Islands , Himal Southasian, Vol. 26 no. 2, pages 69-91 ]
Similar snacks
Similar snacks and variants of samosas are found in many other countries. They are derived either from the South Asian somasa or are derived from the medieval precursor that originated in the Middle East.
Central Asia
The
samsa is a savoury pastry in Central Asian cuisines, consisting of a bun stuffed with meat and sometimes vegetables.
Southeast Asia
Myanmar (Burma)
Samosas are called (စမူဆာ) in
Burmese language, and are an extremely popular street snack in
Burma. Samosas are also used in a traditional
Burmese salads called
Chaat (စမူဆာသုပ်; ), a salad of cut samosa pieces with onions, cabbage, fresh mint, light potato and chickpea curry broth, masala, chili powder, salt and lime.
Indonesia
In
Indonesia, samosas are locally known as
samosa, filled with potato, cheese, curry, rousong or noodles as adapted to local taste. They are usually served as a snack with
sambal.
Samosa is almost similar to Indonesian
pastel,
panada and
epok-epok.
Africa
East Africa
Samosas are also a key part of East African food often seen in
Somalia,
Tanzania,
Kenya,
Uganda,
Burundi,
Eritrea,
Ethiopia, and
Rwanda. In much of East Africa, samosa is called "sambusa" (Tigrinya and "sāmbusā," , , "sambusa")
Samosas, locally called samoussas, are a popular snack on Réunion and Mauritius 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.
The variety of samosa made in Somali cuisine is filled with ground beef or vegetables, along with usually being blended with Somali spices. Sambusa is often consumed during Ramadan. Samosas are also a staple of local cuisine in the fellow Horn of Africa countries of Djibouti and Ethiopia.
South Africa
Called
samoosas in South Africa,
they tend to be smaller than Indian variants,
and form part of South African Indian and
Cape Malays cuisine.
West Africa
Samosas also exist in West African countries such as
Ghana and Nigeria, where they are a common
street 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.
Middle East
Arab countries
Sambousek () are usually filled with either meat, onion, pine nuts, za’atar,
Spinach Dock, or cheese.
[
Sami Tamimi
][
]
Iran
Sambuseh () can often be found in the southern regions of
Iran and rarely in other areas. However, traditionally it used to be made in the form of
qottab 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 a
sausage and
pizza cheese based filling; however, a vegetable-based variety also exists.
Israel
Sambusak (
Hebrew language: 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.
Portuguese-speaking regions
In
Goa (India),
Portugal, and
Angola, samosas are known as chamuças. They are usually filled with chicken, beef, pork, lamb or vegetables, and generally served quite hot. Samosas are an integral part of
Goan cuisine and Portuguese cuisine, where they are a common snack.
English-speaking regions
Samosas are popular in the
United Kingdom,
Australia,
New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago,
Barbados,
Guyana,
Uganda,
South Africa,
Rwanda,
Kenya and
Tanzania, and are also growing in popularity in
Canada and the
United States. They may be called
samboosa or
sambusac, but in South Africa, they are often called
samoosa.
[ South African English is lekker! . Retrieved 13 June 2007.] Frozen samosas are increasingly available from grocery stores in Australia, Canada, the United States,
[ Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer: Mini Vegetable Samosas . Retrieved 27 May 2019.] and the United Kingdom, where they are also frequently sold fresh by local Indian and Pakistani street market vendors.
Variations using filo,[ Fennel-Scented Spinach and Potato Samosas . Retrieved 6 February 2008.] or flour [ Potato Samosas . Retrieved 6 February 2008.] are sometimes found.
Al-Shabaab's samosa ban
Al-Shabaab, the extremist group controlling parts of
Somalia, banned samosas in 2011 over concerns about the possible use of rotten meat in the filling.
See also
External links
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