Snacking On a Bit of History

The not-so-humble samosa gets a historical twist as Gautam Anand traces its roots from Delhi to the rest of India. He shortlists five types of the famed snack with recipes for a few so you can bring back the tastes of time to your home

When Delhi orders its humble evening snack, the samosa, little is it aware of the long journey that this fried potato and pea patty has undertaken from Central Asia to India. Samosa, or originally sambosa, in the 13th century Sultanate of Delhi, was a fried savoury filled with minced meat, dry fruits and nuts, served in the banquets of the Sultans.

Over the passage of time, this meat snack was indigenised to suit the food habits of the vegetarians and emerged as a potato-pea and paneer patty, so much so that the meat version appears to be a recent creative experiment or creation.

In many ways, the history of Delhi is the history of the cuisines, fragrances, fabrics and architectural styles that came with various waves of immigrants.

These were so seamlessly adapted into the indigenous culture and practices that their origins are often forgotten or mindfully overlooked.

The markets were also transformed by the dietary needs of Central Asian immigrants. A variety of Central Asian fruits like yellow plums, melons, grapes of different kinds, dry fruits such as almonds, pistachios and raisins were imported from Bukhara. In fact, the sweetest yellow melons were cut into strips, dried and packaged to be sold in Delhi.

A bewildering variety of meats, fish and birds like chicken, water fowl, pheasant, partridge, quail and button quail were also available. The fundamental difference that emerged in the market places in the Sultanate was the opening of catering shops or dukanan-itabbakhan where cooked food was sold.

Indians were not used to buying cooked food, whereas Central Asian travellers, itinerant traders and warriors had no religious inhibitions about it.

So, restaurants selling baked breads and meats became commonplace in the market squares. Therefore, it is not surprising that all old market areas in Delhi like Mehrauli, Nizamuddin and Chandni Chowk are much visited food streets of the city.

The impact of Central Asian cuisine on the food habits in Delhi was a lasting one. The cuisine that came to be identified later as Mughal, had actually evolved over four or five centuries.

The Central Asian traditions emphasised on communal dining as opposed to Indian traditions where meals were closed exclusive affairs.

The Sultans of Delhi patronised large kitchens where food was cooked for hundreds of people. They also appear to have been rather fond of organising lavish meals on occasions like Id, Shab-i-baraat, and Navroz, also called Jashn-e-bahaar like in the times of Sultan Firuz Tughlaq in the 14th century.

These banquets were held in luxuriantly decorated spacious tents where a variety of food was served. It was cooked by expert matbakhyans or cooks under the guidance of specialised chashnigirs or tasters and eventually institutionalised as a position called Mir Bakawal, the Head of the Kitchen and Food Safety.

The banquets usually began with the serving of refreshing sherbats made of fruit juices and sugar candy. This was followed by several kinds of preparations of meats roasted or in gravies, rice: cooked as chulao (clove and desi ghee infused), khushka (salted plain), biryani (layered, curried, on dum), pilaf (cooked in yakhni), khichdi (cooked with lentils and vegetables), mutanzan (sweetened rice),  breads like naan (leavened flatbread).

Two types of naan were introduced amongst others.

They were the naan-e-tunuk and the naan-e-tanuri. The naan-e-tanuk was a light bread and was not baked. The naan-e-tanuri was the heavy bread and was baked in the tandoor and more.

These and many more delicacies now form an integral part of the Grand Cuisine of Delhi.

But above all else... A lasting contribution (amongst other delicacies) to the cuisine of Delhi and beyond, nationally and internationally is the aforementioned sambosa or samosa.

It may not be an exaggeration to suggest that the samosa is probably the most popular crossover Indian snack internationally.

From Selfridges of London, high- end restaurants of Dubai to mom and pop Indian grocery stores world over, the samosa is available in some form. Fresh.Processed. Frozen.

Within its city of adaptation, it’s available at an arm’s length, but with evolving tastes and snobbery it now competes with the European quiche, English patty, Dim sums or momos, kebab rolls and yet as kaleem, Chugtai hilariously states:

 

Chori-chhupe khate haiñ kuchh insan samosa

haiñ vo bhi jo kha. eñalal-ailan samosa

daftar meñ jo taufa diya jaata hai sab ko

vo chahte haiñ roz mile naan samosa

 

My poor translation

Embarrassed people eat secretly a samosa

But there are many of us who eat openly a samosa

The celebratory snacks given on special occasions in the office

Should be made compulsory into a samosa

 

I must confess that at the author’s corporate office all happy occasions were feted by the ubiquitous samosa.

The Indian samosa is now available in bewildering shapes, variety and fillings. I’ve deliberately kept the quirky ones out, like the Maggi samosa, chocolate and pasta variants.

 

My shortlist is thus:

1.           Potato and/or peas, fried or baked

              This is one of the most common samosas that you can enjoy as it’s easily available across the country. It’s crispy, flaky and the filling is something to die for in the chilled winters. With a spicy potato filling, this samosa is best enjoyed with a cup of hot tea.

2.           Mince filling

              This samosa finds a special mention in Ramadan and is a variation, where the filling is made of minced mutton/ chicken and a melange of spices and yogurt. This samosa is sealed with flour paste and is then left for drying. Once the sealing is dried well, this samosa is fried and enjoyed with pudina chutney.

3.           Lukhmi

              Lukhmi is a typical odd-shaped samosa, mostly served as a starter in typical Hyderabadi weddings. The filling is made with minced lamb meat and other minimal ingredients. The outside is made by combining all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and semolina. The filling has everything that Indian taste buds crave – simple, spicy, tangy. The outside is crisp, soft and chewy. We relished these hot lukhmi with sliced onions, tomatoes and lemon wedges along with dates and refreshing sharbat-e-roohafza.

4.           Warqi

              Warqi samosas have a more delicate and crisp layered pastry covering. Warq means page, the layers are therefore paper-thin and many, like the pages of a book. The crust is the most delicious or important part of a samosa.

5.           Japani (since 1924)

              Yes, believe it is called Japani. I was introduced to it my Late father who was a 1960s hobby food sherpa.

 

Now let me tell you what a Japani samosa is all about. It’s actually a kind of a puff pastry or a layered samosa. You can taste the Japani samosa at a small eatery called Manohar Dhaba in Old Delhi, between the Old Lajpat Rai Market and Moti Cinema on Diwan Hall Road.

This in-house specialty is almost like a normal samosa; however, it is made with filo pastry. This multi-layered delight has a total of 60 layers, 30 on each side, and is stuffed with a filling of potatoes, peas and mild spices. These spices tend to seep through the crispy layers, making it taste even more delicious. This puff pastry has a flaky casing, which resembles patties to a great extent. Japani samosa is served with piping hot chickpea curry and sweet yellow chutney. The chutney is prepared using bottle gourd and mango. What makes Japani samosa different from the others is its flaky texture, which keeps it crispy for a much longer time.

If you’re a fan of samosas – the savoury, crunchy snack – then you’re in luck. September 5 is annually celebrated as World Samosa Day, and there’s no better time to dig into the treat that goes so well with a piping hot beverage.

If, however, you have been ignoring or overlooking or have a disdain on the deliciousness of a samosa, do go for a hunt in your respective cities/towns/neighbourhoods, I assure you that you shall experience a satisfactory aftermath.

If you are still hesitant, at least follow the cited couplet:

Justju Jiski Thi

Usko To Na Paya Humne,

Par Uski Galli Mein Milne Wala

Samosa Khoob Khaya Humne

The translation

My pursuit of love was futile

But thoroughly enjoyed eating the samosas plentifully sold in her street.