What is the name of the Indian street food consisting of a fried triangle filled with spiced potatoes? A samosa is the familiar fried triangular pastry filled with spiced potatoes and other savory ingredients.
In the Indian subcontinent, the pastry is usually made from refined wheat flour and filled with cooked or mashed potatoes, onions, peas, lentils, ginger, green chilies, and aromatic spices. The sealed pastry is deep-fried until crisp and golden, then served hot with chutneys, commonly mint-coriander or tamarind. It is one of the region’s best-known snack and street-food foods.
Despite its strong association with India, the samosa’s history is broader. The name is linked to the Middle Persian word sambosag, meaning triangular pastry, and related pastries traveled through Central Asia, the Middle East, and South Asia. Some regional versions are baked rather than fried, and fillings can include minced meat, paneer, fish, or cheese.
Bhel puri, kachori, and pakora are separate snacks, even though they may appear at the same stalls. Kachori is also a filled pastry but generally has a different shape and dough-to-filling style; pakora is battered food rather than a folded pastry.