The origin of Samosa

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The origin of  the Samosa 



Samosas are tasty triangles filled with mashed potatoes marinated with in a mixture of spices. However, the origin of samosa pre-dates the coming of potatoes in India. So , how did one make samosas before without potatoes? Were they as tasty as the ones today? Did they originate in India?, lets find out. 

                                        

Samosa- image source: https://static.toiimg.com/thumb/61050397.cms?width=1200&height=900


Originating as a dish in Khurasan in Persia, one of the very first mentions of Samosa is in the Tarikh-e-Beyhaqi , a 10th century work by AbulFazl Beyhaqi. He refers to them as " Sambosa " and describes them as tiny snack pieces , easy for travelers to munch on the go.

From the Delhi Sultanate, two important authors have mentioned this dish. Amir Khosrow, during the time of Allaudin Khilji (around the 13th century) , mentions  samosa as being filled with meat and onions. 
                                              

Amir Khosrow, probably reading his written work about samosa. 
Image source- https://www.indiaolddays.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/indiaolddays-ameer-khusharo.jpeg


Around the 14th century, Ibn Batuta, the Moroccan traveler arrived at the court of Mohammad Tughlaq. In his writings, he describes Samosa as being a bit more elaborate, filled with walnuts, pistachios, almonds and spices. 
                                        
Ibn Batuta, probably wondering why he doesn't have a samosa in his hand. 
Image source- https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhjwtakqopJG4zBF-ggGkdZOyKrEW370XR3wXFAmBtKwZtBD9RjPdWleV-MWVxyVQpdEh-mrPh8pubXZtPxnlef2EhtRUg6RPPoyPHAIeaazpo2vEkLeNER4Q-L_N0ztHLWe0zX0p6sKOODi8A7ZsV7xcNd-4tfpLI9eFzuaoepPy5PfRZ4a4c=


The Portuguese arrived in India, and with them brought something which would soon transform the very face of Indian cuisine, making it much more multi-faceted. The humble Potato. 

                                                        



The potato soon became a very integral part of Indian cuisine, leading to famous creations like the aloo sabji, the masala dosa, , and of course the modern day samosa. 

Somewhere along the way, the samosa took the famous triangular shape we know today. No longer only filled with meat and dry fruits, it was now filled with mashed potatoes, treated with various spices. 
Served with condiments like green chutney, red chutney and ketchup on the side, perhaps had hot with a glass of chilled cold drink , the samosa is one of India's best food creations!



                                                                  References 

1. https://recipes.timesofindia.com/articles/food-facts/this-story-about-samosas-origin-will-break-your-heart/photostory/62220155.cms?picid=62220232. Accessed on 6th June 2021. 
2. https://recipes.timesofindia.com/articles/food-facts/this-story-about-samosas-origin-will-break-your-heart/photostory/62220155.cms?picid=62220230. Accessed on 5th June 2021. 
3. https://rozinaspersiankitchen.com/2018/07/08/potato-samosa-%D8%B3%D9%85%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%87-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A8-%D8%B2%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%86%DB%8C/. Accessed on 6th June , 2021. 

Comments

  1. UnknownJune 11, 2021 at 11:44 AM

    That's amazing 🤩

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJune 16, 2021 at 11:36 AM

    Who could predict the rich ancestry of our very own humble patatoes. Lovely article, glad I read it!

    ReplyDelete

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