Samosas or shingaras are small deep-fried triangular shaped savory filled pastries. The fillings are spiced and seasoned with herbs, fruit, nuts, lentils, peas, potatoes and/or meats. They are most often associated with South Asia and India, in particular. However, as a testament to their great appeal, samosas, having originated in Egypt and made their way via travelers and invading combatants along the Silk Road from Persia to the Indian subcontinent during the Dehli Sultanate (1210-1526) where they found fertile soil and went “native,” are produced in recognizable fashion all along the path they traveled. The samosa was called a samsa or triangle, in Central Asia, or sanbusak or sanbusaj after the Persian word, sanbosag.
