Samosas wrapped in sweet and savoury history

From at least the 10th century and probably much earlier, portable food wrapped in an edible casing has been a part of human existence. We may have our Chicko rolls, sausage rolls, wontons, Cornish pasties, yum cha, but the Indian samosa is probably the best-known of an entire family of stuffed pastries or dumplings popular from Egypt and Zanzibar to Central Asia and West China.

Arab cookery books of the 10th and 13th centuries refer to the pastries as sanbusak (the pronunciation still current in Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon), sanbusaq or sanbusaj, all reflecting the early medieval form of the Persian word: sanbosag. Apparently, they originated in Central Asia where they are known as samsa.

I find it fascinating that there is a whole range of terms and a wide variety of shapes that describe the samosa.

The shape and whether they are oven baked or deep fried are clues to the country and region they come from.

Indeed, the way in which they are folded will also indicate a particular country of origin! I suppose we tend to usually associate them with Indian cuisine, and while I’ve not traveled to India, I’ve read of roadside vendors selling these as snack or “fast food”.

Normally, they are small triangular or pyramidal parcels, with a savoury filling of potato, onion, spices, perhaps some peas, and there are beef and chicken fillings as well.

A delicious chutney, a yoghurt riata served on the side and you have a fabulous light lunch, or as a starter for a dinner party.

However, I’m reminiscing about some sweet samosas I used to make with a coconut filling. I can’t recall the exact recipe, which included coconut and sultanas, but the best part is that now I’ve found a far more delicious and exotic filling, and I’ve opted to shape the “Mariel samosa” (as I always called them) in a crescent shape, pinching the edges of the pastry into a frilled decorative edging.

The crescent shape is more aligned to the Middle Eastern variety of samosa. Preferably grated fresh coconut meal is best, but packaged desiccated coconut will suffice. These Mariel samosas would make a lovely, special afternoon tea treat for the children after school, or are equally impressive as a light summery desert for all to enjoy, especially when served with a good quality vanilla ice-cream, and a mixed berry compote, with some pomegranate seeds for that extra wow factor!