A samosa (/səˈmoʊsə/) is a South Asian[2] fried or baked pastry with a savory filling like spiced potatoes, onions, peas, beef and other meats, or lentils. It may take different forms, including triangular, cone, or half-moon shapes, depending on the region.[3][4][5] Samosas are often accompanied by chutney, and have origins in medieval times or earlier.[3] Samosas are a popular entrée, appetizer, or snack in the local cuisines of South Asia, Western Asia, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, and Africa. Due to emigration and cultural diffusion from these areas, samosas today are often prepared in other regions.


Etymology[edit]

The English word samosa derives from Hindi/Urdu word 'samosa',[2] traceable to the Middle Persian word sanbosag (Persian: سنبوسگ‎).[6] and has the meaning of the "triangular pastry".[7] Similar pastries are referred to as sambusak in the Arabic-speaking world, Medieval Arabic recipe books sometimes spell it sambusaj.[8] The word samoosa is used in South Africa.[9][10]




History[edit]

The South Asian samosa has a Central Asian and/or Middle Eastern origin.[11] The samosa appeared in the Indian subcontinent, following the invasion of the Central Asian Turkic dynasties in the region.[12] A praise of the precursor of the samosa (as sanbusaj) can be found in a ninth century poem by Persian poet Ishaq al-Mawsili. Recipes are found in 10th–13th-century Arab cookery books, under the names sanbusak, sanbusaq, and sanbusaj, all deriving from the Persian word sanbosag. 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 sambusas of Larestan).[3] Abolfazl Beyhaqi (995-1077), an Iranian historian, mentioned it in his history, Tarikh-e Beyhaghi.[13]

Central Asian samsa was introduced to the Indian subcontinent in the 13th or 14th century by traders from Central Asia.[6] Amir Khusro (1253–1325), a scholar and the royal poet of the Delhi Sultanate, wrote in 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 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 pulao.[15] Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi, a medieval Indian cookbook started for Ghiyath Shah, the ruler of the Malwa Sultanate in central India, mentions the art of making samosa.[16] The Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century Mughal document, mentions the recipe for qutab, which it says, "the people of Hindustan call sanbúsah".[17]