Samosa

Samosa
	Pakistan style fried Samosas during Ramadan.
Alternative names	Samsa, somsa, sambosak, sambusa, samoosa, singada, samuza
Region or state	Indian Subcontinent, Central Asia, Western Asia, Horn of Africa, North Africa, South Africa
Main ingredients	Maida or plain flour, potato, onion, spices, green chili, cheese, meat
	Cookbook: Samosa; Media related to Media: Samosa at Wikimedia Commons;

Samosa is a popular snack originally from Central Asia. It further travelled, with the help of Muslim merchants of trade routes to India.^[1] It is famous in the Indian subcontinent as well as Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, the Horn of Africa, North Africa, as well as South Africa.

Vegetable Samosa

It is generally prepared in the shape of a triangle, however, the shape and sizes tend to vary from region to region.^[2] It can be either baked or fried and has an outer hard crust made of plain flour. It usually has a filling of potatoes and spices.^[3] It is usually eaten with a spicy sauce called chutney.

Etymology

The English word samosa derives from Hindi/Urdu word '<span title="Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Language/data/ISO 639 override' not found. transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space:normal; text-decoration: none">samosa',traceable to the Middle Persian word <span title="Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Language/data/ISO 639 override' not found. transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space:normal; text-decoration: none">sanbosag (Persian: سنبوسگ‎) or Sagosha means (triangle), and has the meaning of the "triangular pastry".

History

Persian book Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi explain how the samosas being cooked

Medieval Indian Persian book Nimatnama-i-Nasiruddin-Shahi (16th century) showing samosas being served

The South Asian samosa has a Central Asian and/or Middle Eastern origin.

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 (preferably diced), onions, green peas, lentils, ginger, spices and green chili.Samosas generally are deep-fried to a golden brown in vegetable oil. They are served hot and consumed with ketchup or chutney (mint, coriander, or tamarind), or are served in chaat, traditionally accompanied by yogurt, chutney, chopped onions, coriander, and chaat masala. Shingaras may be eaten as a tea time snack. They can also be prepared in a sweet form. Bengali shingaras tend to be triangular, filled with potato, peas, onions, diced almonds, or other vegetables, and are more heavily fried and crunchier than either shingaras or their Indian samosa cousins. Fulkopir shingara (shingara filled with cauliflower mixture) is a popular variation.

Samosa is also an appetiser in Iran and Pakistan.

It is commonly available in canteens, sweet shops and is also prepared at home.

Samosa can be vegetarian or non-vegetarian.

Origins

It is believed to have originated from the Central and West Asia. The word samosa originates from the Persian word sanbosag or Sagoshag means small triangle .^[4]