History of Samosa: When we think of the ultimate Indian snack, the Samosa sits unrivalled at the top. Here is a story on the origin of samosa.
From the monsoon-drenched street stalls of Mumbai to the high-tea platters of Delhi, the triangular, golden-fried pastry is synonymous with Indian identity.
But here lies the first great culinary myth: The Samosa is not Indian.
To understand the Samosa is to understand the history of global trade, the Silk Road, and the evolution of the deep-fryer.
Samosa
The Ancestor: The Sambosa of the Middle East
The Samosa was once known as the Sambosa (or Sanbusaj).
Long before it met the Indian potato, the Samosa was known as the Sambosa (or Sanbusaj). So how did Sambosa vs Samosa transform?
Its origins can be traced back to the 10th-century Middle East, specifically within the Abbasid Caliphate.
Early Persian cookbooks describe the Sanbusaj as a small, minced-meat-filled pastry, often fried or baked, that was a favourite of the royal elite.
Unlike the sturdy, potato-heavy snack we know today, the original version was dainty.
It was a traveller’s snack, designed to be packed into saddlebags by merchants traversing the Silk Road.
Its triangular shape wasn’t just aesthetic; it was structural, allowing the pastry to withstand long journeys across the desert without crumbling.
The Migration: Crossing the Hindu Kush
In the 13th or 14th century, the Samosa was carried by the waves of traders and soldiers.
The Samosa travelled to India around the 13th or 14th century, carried by the waves of traders and soldiers during the Delhi Sultanate.
It was no longer a desert snack; it was a dish of the court.
The legendary poet and scholar Amir Khusrau (1253–1325) wrote of the “Samosa” being served to the royalty of the Delhi Sultanate—a dish prepared from meat, ghee, and onions. Hence, the Persian influence on Indian food.
By the time the great traveller Ibn Battuta arrived in the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq in the 14th century, he described a dish called Samushak.
Samushak format was that of a small pie stuffed with minced meat, almonds, pistachios, and walnuts, served before the third course of a royal feast.
The Great Transformation: The Indian "Makeover"
Point: The potato didn't even arrive in India until the 16th century, courtesy of the Portuguese.
The myth that the Samosa has always been a potato-filled vegetarian snack is perhaps the most widespread.
In reality, the Samosa’s most iconic ingredient—the potato—didn’t even arrive in India until the 16th century, courtesy of the Portuguese. That was the Portuguese influence on Indian food, or the Portuguese role in making samosa.
Once the potato was introduced and became a staple of the Indian masses, the Samosa underwent a democratic transformation.
It moved from the gilded plates of the Sultanate to the streets. The expensive meat and nuts were replaced by spiced potatoes, peas, and green chillies.
This made the Samosa affordable, vegetarian-friendly (crucial for the Indian heartland), and infinitely scalable.
The Myth of the Shape: Pyramid vs. Half-Moon
As the Samosa migrated, its shape shifted to reflect local culture.
There is a common myth that all Samosas must be triangular. However, as the Samosa migrated, its shape shifted to reflect local culture:
- The Lukhmi (Hyderabad): A square-shaped meat pastry that remains a closer relative to the original Persian Sanbusaj.
- The Shingara (Bengal): Smaller, with a thinner, crunchier crust and a filling that often includes cauliflower and peanuts.
- The Samsa (Central Asia): Often baked in a tandoor rather than deep-fried, maintaining a bready, savoury profile.
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