Jab tak rahega Samose mein aloo..

Who can say No to a Samosa?

Of the many ingredients and dishes Indian cuisine and palates opened up to, Samosa easily remains the favourite culinary immigrant.

The Sanbosag, Sambusa or Samboksa made its way from Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent around the 13th-14th century. The dish easily gained popularity with royalty and commoners alike.

What’s interesting is the innumerable variations of this humble snack that exist in regional cuisines around the world. While the ubiquitous potato-peas filling remains popular in most of the Indian subcontinent, the Goan and Portuguese style, called Chamuças, comes with a meat-filled stuffing.

In Bengal, both sweet and savoury variants are popular as Shingaras. Southern Indian samosas come with a typical filling of carrots, cabbage, curry leaves and seasoned with regional spices.

Going global, the ones available in Arab countries, called Sambusak come with a variety of fillings ranging from chicken to onions, feta cheese to spinach, even. The Maldives version, typical to the seafood influence is made with fish and onions. Sambuus, made with a thinner pastry dough are a specialty around the East African peninsula.

Variations, fillings and culinary stories abound…And the samosa will forever remain in our hearts! What’s your favourite filling?