samosa

American  

noun

plural

samosas, samosa

1. an Indian fried turnover filled with minced meat or vegetables and spices.

   potato samosas.

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samosa British  

/ səˈməʊsə /

noun

1. (in Indian cookery) a small triangular pastry case containing spiced vegetables or meat and served fried

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Etymology

Origin of samosa

First recorded in 1930–35; from Hindi samosā, from Persian

Explanation

A samosa is a tasty Indian dish, a little pocket of fried dough filled with spiced potato and peas. The next time you eat at an Indian restaurant, try some samosas as an appetizer. While samosas are usually associated with India, there are actually few regions of the world that don't have some version of the savory pastry as part of their cuisine. Many of these samosa relatives, from Tajikistan's sambosa to Somalia's sambuus, share an etymological root, the Persian word sanbosag. The earliest known printed reference to the samosa appeared in 11th-century Persian writing. Today samosas are easy to find — just check out the menu at any Indian restaurant!

Example Sentences

At Swadesi, Sarkar serves up a Samosa Chaat Croissant filled with spiced potatoes and peas alongside a Butter Chicken Croissant that features burrata and red pepper makhani.

From Salon • Nov. 9, 2024

“They’re known as the Samosa Caucus, for those of you who don’t know,” she said with a laugh.

From Washington Times • Jun. 23, 2023

This January, the four House members — who call themselves the Samosa Caucus — were joined by Representative Shri Thanedar of Michigan.

From New York Times • Feb. 27, 2023

Samosa chat is big enough for a small party.

From Washington Post • May 13, 2022

Its sister restaurant Samosa House East opened a few years ago down the street from the original.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2014