Snack time

Samosa is a type of pastry that is claimed to have originated in the Middle East (where it is known as sambosa) before the 10th century. Abolfazl Beyhaqi (995-1077), an Iranian historian, mentioned it in his history, Tarikh-e Beyhaghi.

Samosas were introduced to the Indian subcontinent in the 13th or 14th century by traders from Central Asia.

Ibn Battuta, a 14th-century traveller and explorer, describes a meal at the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq where the samushakor sambusak, a small pie stuffed with minced meat, almonds, pistachios, walnuts and spices, was served. You may be thinking, if meat was used as filling for samosas then from where did this potato made its way into samosa?

The answer is that when samosa started gaining popularity in Delhi, the Hindus (who were mostly vegetarians) also wanted to explore this delicacy so some of them started using vegetables instead of meat, and when the Portuguese introduced potatoes to India, this so-called “aaloo” gained popularity as filling for samosa.

Samosas are popular in the United Kingdom, Israel, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania, and are also growing in popularity in Canada and the United States.

(Contributed by Subrajoti Paul)