Samosa

A samosa (/səˈmoʊsə/) (listenⓘ) is a fried central Asian[2] pastry with a savoury filling, including ingredients such as spiced potatoes, onions, peas, meat, or fish. It is made into different shapes, including triangular, cone, or crescent, depending on the region.[3][4][5] Samosas are often accompanied by chutney, and have origins in medieval times or earlier.[3] Sweet versions are also made. Samosas are a popular entrée, appetizer, or snack in the cuisines of South Asia, the Middle East, Central Asia, East Africa and their South Asian diasporas. Etymology The English word samosa derives from the Hindustani word samosa (Urdu: سموسہ, Hindi: समोसा),[6] traceable to the Middle Persian word sanbosag (سنبوسگ)[7] 'triangular pastry'.[8] Similar pastries are called sambusak in Arabic; medieval Arabic recipe books sometimes spell it sambusaj.[9] History Persian manuscript Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi explaining how samosas should be cooked Medieval Indian cookbook with Persian manuscript Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi (c. 16th century) showing samosas being served The South Asian samosa is believed to be derived from a medieval precursor from the Middle East[10][11] that was baked and not 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 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. 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.[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 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 qottab, which it says, "the people of Hindustan call sanbúsah".[17] 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 potato, onions, green peas, lentils, ginger, spices and green chili.[18][19] A samosa can be vegetarian or non-vegetarian, depending on the filling. The entire pastry is deep-fried in vegetable oil or (rarely) ghee to a golden brown. It is served hot, often with fresh green chutney, such as mint or coriander chutney, or tamarind chutney. It can also be prepared in a sweet form. Samosas are often served in 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 or singras (চিংৰা)[20] (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.[18] Shingras are wrapped in a thin sheet of dough (made of all-purpose flour) and fried. Good shingras 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 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, is consumed, as is another variation with an onion filling. 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.