A snack fit for Akbar..

Some say that the samosa came to India from Persia.Indeed,we have it on the authority of Abul Fazal,scholarstatesman extraordinaire and one of the legendary nine gems of Akbars court,that the samosa was a dish relished by the grand Mughal even though its Persian connection is disputed.As a matter of fact,earlier evidence leaves no doubt that the savoury pastry occupied an important place in any imperial spread during the Sultanate.Ibn Batuta,the Moroccan traveller who visited India in the 14th century,has chronicled the glittering banquets at the court of Muhammad bin Tughlaq.A dish called sambushak triangular pastry packed with mince,peas and other tasty fillings was placed on the guests plates right after Bismillah was pronounced and the sherbet had been sipped.Other courses followed.The dainty luqmi in Hyderabad valiantly tries to preserve this noble lineage.
The samosa has long ceased to be a dainty dish fit to be put before the king,but it is arguably the most popular,plebian snack available,at least in northern India.From college canteens to railway platforms and yes,airport lounges to food courts the samosa is omnipresent.Each city has a halwai shop that claims to serve the tastiest samosa in town.Some streetcorners and crossroads have become f a m o u s merely because a samosa sellers kiosk is located there.
One encounters the samosa in many different avatars from humongous fill your belly with just one to the miniscule cocktail variety.The filling usually is boiled and spicy mashed potato (in West Bengal,where it is called shinghada,the potatoes are cut fine and not boiled but cooked),at times mixed with peas,shreds of paneer,the occasional raisin or the odd cashew nut.Fresh coriander and green chillies with diced ginger and pomegranate seeds pep it up.Other popular fillings include mincemeat or green peas on their own.You can grab a samosa on the run or enjoy it in leisurely manner paired with spicy chole,dahi and green chutney or sweet-and-sour sonth.
The joy of eating a samosa comes from the crispy-crunch of the casing and the contrasting texture and taste of the filling.Like a great dimsum,the pastry shouldnt be thick but very thin and the frying has to be just right light golden with maybe a few specks of brown.Some like the exterior to be laced with ajwain (caraway seeds).
Hari Namkeen Bhandar in Allahabads Lokenath has an enviable,well-deserved reputation for tiny samosas filled with piquant lentil paste.These are prepared in desi ghee and have a shelf life of many weeks.Interestingly,the much-praised Japani samosa in Chandni Chowk is no more than a disappointing patty.
Then there are those who like their samosas sweet.Labonglatika (a Bengali sweet) is a mawa-packed samosa.
But the samosa,too,has had to keep up with the times and now,there is the baked variety for the health-conscious and those watching their weight.

This article is penned down by Mr. Pushpesh Pant on 29th August issue of Culinary Culture in the TOI.

NB: The purpose of giving too many images of the samosa was to fill my stomach as i was trying to relish the taste of the samosa just by seeing and downloading the images.Any competitors, eh????