samosa

Where does the word "samosa" come from? It comes from Persian sanbosag, passing through Hindi/Urdu before entering English (1900s).

Samosa’s story begins in Persian: sanbosag meant “a filled pastry.” A small triangular pastry filled with meat or vegetables. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Hindi/Urdu as samosa. Spread widely across South Asian cuisine. It reached English by 1900s as samosa. Persian 'sanbosag'; Ibn Battuta described samosas at the Delhi Sultanate court in the 1300s. Today, samosa means a fried or baked pastry filled with spiced vegetables or meat.

1. Stage 1 · Persian · medieval sanbosag "a filled pastry", a small triangular pastry filled with meat or vegetables.
2. Stage 2 · Hindi/Urdu · medieval samosa "a fried filled pastry", spread widely across South Asian cuisine.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1900s samosa "a fried triangular pastry with a savory filling", Persian 'sanbosag'; Ibn Battuta described samosas at the Delhi Sultanate court in the 1300s.