Guide Note

Samosas are a common South Asian appetizer of savory ingredients deep-fried in pastry dough. It is generally considered a fast food, and is eaten as a snack. Samosas are most commonly filled with potatoes and spices, but can also be filled with minced meat, or even a sweet filling if being served as a dessert. They are usually triangular.

Fast Facts

1. Potatoes: Most popular filling
2. Can be made into any shape using cookie molds
3. Origin: Central Asia, 9th century

Amir Khusrao mentions samosas around 1300 as a dish eaten by the royal court in Delhi. The Middle Eastern dish sambusa and the Turkish dish samsa are thought to have evolved from the same original dish as the samosa. That original dish, the sanbusaj, was first written of in the 800s.