Samosa is an Indian snack that is loved in every corner of the country.
Be it as an evening snack or morning breakfast, samosas with some condiment like ketchup, curry or tea are one of the most common finger foods in India.
Considering its popularity, the history of samosas is very old. The most remarkable, and shocking, thing about samosas is the fact that it’s actually foreign in origin. Yes, samosas are not from India but from some other country.
The history of the samosa is believed to be connected with Iran as the first official mention of a samosa was found in Iranian historian Abolfazl Beyhaqi’s work Tarikh-e Beyhaghi, where it was referred to as ‘Sambosa’.
They were very small in size and that’s the reason they were used as a snack by travellers who could easily pack them in saddle bags and eat them during their journeys to far-off lands.
According to historians, it was during the 13th and 14th centuries when the samosa came to India.
After coming to India, there was a lot of change in the samosas. The samosas that are eaten in India are filled with potatoes, chilies and delicious spices. Potatoes were used in samosas after the Portuguese brought them in the sixteenth century.
You need to know that there are more than 15-20 desi avatars of samosa being relished pan-India.
In Hyderabad, it is called ‘Lukhmi’, which has a thicker crust and is stuffed with minced meat. While in South India, samosas are prepared with cabbage, carrots and curry leaves as stuffing. In Bengal region, it is called ‘Shingaras’, and is available in both savoury and sweet flavours. While in Gujarat, one can find a tinier version of standard samosa, filled with French beans and sweet peas. And in Goa, the samosa is called ‘chamuças’ and is prepared with minced beef, chicken or pork.