Even the pandemic could not dampen the Indians’ ardour for their beloved snack. As per the annual Swiggy Food Survey, with a whopping 5 million orders, ‘Samosa’ emerged as the ‘Most binged snack of 2021’. Quite unknown to many, this quintessential delicacy has a hoary past.

With its origins in Persia in the 11th century, as the writings of historian Abolfazl Beyhaqi would testify, ‘Sanbosag’, as it was originally called, has indeed withstood the test of time.

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Starting off as an itinerant snack for the comfort of the traders/travellers on the Silk Route, it was carried over to the Indian plains by successive waves of invaders, traders and migrants. It finds a reference in Ibn Batuta’s travelogue, the renowned Sufi mystic Amir Khusrau’s riddle, Abul Fazl’s ‘Ain-i-Akbari’ and ‘Ni’matnama’, the famous Malwa cookbook.

From being a part of the haute cuisine in the Ghaznavid, Tughluq, Mughal and Malwa royal courts, it has indeed traversed a long way to become a perennial all-time favourite of the masses.

The growing Indian diaspora has carried this delectable snack around the globe, transcending the barriers of regions, boundaries, languages and classes. Over the centuries, this crescent-shaped packet of ‘deep-fried goodness’ has undergone several refinements as regards its texture and fillings viz. the shape of the outer crust and the encased stuffings.

A popular appetizer at weddings and other ceremonial events, this ‘comfort snack’ chimes well with piping hot tea to enliven brainstorming sessions and animated conversations.

The ‘World Samosa Day’ is observed on 5 September every year to commemorate its universal appeal and evergrowing popularity. With the changing times and dynamic shift in culinary preferences, potato, the ubiquitous soulmate of Indian Samosa, is gradually yielding space to other fillings viz. corn, cauliflower, cabbage, chickpeas, feta cheese, pasta, cooked noodles, minced meat, chocolate, gujiya etc. to cater to the varying palates of clients in different places.

The humble look of this gastronomic delight belies the time, efforts and dexterity involved in its various stages of production viz. making the dough, kneading, rolling, cutting, filling and crafting the pyramidal form for frying it into a crusty, crunchy lip-smacking snack.

Although easily available in every nook and corner in the capital, a samosa connoisseur can savour this delicacy at some of these must-try joints viz. yummy flavourful samosas at Bangla Sweet House, Gole Market, the mega ‘Maha Samosa’ at Delite, Asaf Ali Road, the multi-layered crispy ‘Japanese Samosas’ at Manohar Japani Samosa Wala, Bhagirath Palace, the continental macaroni & Manchurian samosas at Bittoo Samose Wale, Rohini, the flaky & crusty savoury at Annapurna Bhandar, Chandni Chowk and the much-lighter ‘Singhara’ containing cauliflower florets garnished with diced potatoes & chickpeas at Tara Shankar Sweets, C.R. Park.