Samosas are a delicious food enjoyed
all over the world. Samosas are fried or baked pastries that include a filling.
These fillings vary from location to location. Some examples of possible
filling include spiced potatoes, onions, peas, lentils, or meat like lamb and
beef. Samosas are seen as distinctly triangular in their shape.
They are also seen as popular entrees
and appetizers in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia,
Southwest Asia, the Mediterranean, the Horn of Africa, and North Africa. Also,
because of cultural diffusion and emigration from these regions, samosas are
prepared and enjoyed in other areas as well.
The Samosa is claimed to have
originated in the Middle East, and has been made popular by India. In India,
like most countries Samosas are made with a flour shell. They also enjoy
Samosas by filing them with boiled potato, onion, green peas, spices, and green
chili. In Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan
samosas are almost always baked and rarely fried. In the Horn of Africa it is
quite the opposite because they are almost always fried. In the Horn of Africa
samosas are actually called sambusas, and the filling is usually meat rather
then it being vegetarian like most other countries that enjoy them. In
conclusion, samosas are a delicious food and regardless of them having
different fillings or being baked vs. being fried they will always be an
international staple.
Most of the above facts were taken from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samosa, Enjoy!
Samosas, or rather sambusas since I am
from the Horn of Africa or more specifically Somalia, have always been a
favorite food for me personally. I grew up with my mom making them all the time, mostly as a tasty snack. She always fried them, and the filling was
always ground beef and mild spices. For review of sumbusas I chose to get out
of my comfort zone and did not review the cute, little triangular pieces of
heaven I grew up eating. Instead I went out and tried a different kind of
sumbusa, a samosa. I chose to review the vegetarian samosas found at Shiney’s
Sweets and Restaurant, a restaurant in Annandale, Virginia specializing in
authentic Pakistani and Indian cuisine. For only $1.99 I got two vegetarian
samosas. I really enjoyed these Samosas even if they were not what I was used
to. The outer shell was baked, I could tell by how crumbly it was. The shell
was also so buttery it felt like it was melting in my mouth. The filling
consisted of soft, slightly mashed potatoes and plenty of spices. Although the
spices were a little hotter than I originally expected, they were so
complimentary to that specific samosa. All in all, this was a great samosa. I
could not believe how delicious it was. I would gladly come to Shiney’s to try
these again because they were so phenomenal. In the end I was glad I had
stepped out of my comfort zone, if I had not I would not have had the
opportunity to enjoy such a treat.
Contributed By: Rahma Abdi
You say this dish is enjoyed all over the world, but it seems as though they are only found in USA, Africa, and the Middle East. Shiney's has a great price! I know you said Shiney's filled their vegetarian samosas with mashed potatoes and spices,but was there anything else? Were there carrots or peas? Do you think this is where the Mexican empanada is derived from? Thanks! -Alexandra
ReplyDeleteI meant this in general, as you will not only find them in one particular place. There actually was not anything else in the samosas besides lumps of potatoes and spices, but sometimes a little goes a long way. I am not sure if this is where the Mexican empanada derived from but that would be cool if it was. I will have to look into it.
ReplyDelete-Rahma
Well the potatoes and spices sound really good. I plan to try these. Thanks!
ReplyDelete-Alexandra