The samsa (ัะฐะผัะฐ) is a meat- or vegetable-filled savory pastry. They are both flaky (ัะปะพะตะฝะฐั) and crispy (ั ััััััะฐั). They are enjoyed across the former USSR, where they are most associated with Central Asian cuisine. The samsa originated in the Middle East and spread across the Silk Road (ะจะตะปะบะพะฒัะน ะฟััั), reaching Central Asia, India, and Africa.
Why Itโs Called โSamsaโ
(ะะพัะตะผั ะพะฝะธ ะฝะพััั ัะฐะบะพะต ะฝะฐะทะฒะฐะฝะธะต?)
The word โsamsaโ comes from the Persian word โsanbosag,โ which likely meant โlovely triangle.โ They were once a delicacy of the courts and originally filled with nuts, spices, fruits, and honey.
The technology, however, was taken by militaries and, later, farmers and herders, filling the flakey crusts with a much simpler filling of ground meat and/or vegetables. It made for a hearty and calorie-intensive meal that could be carried on marches or to fields and pastures. This simple food has a shelf life of nearly a week.
Samsa is popular in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan (where it is known as โัะฐะผัะฐโ), Tajikistan (ัะฐะผะฑำฏัะฐ), Uzbekistan (somsa), as well by nationalities in Xinjiang, China. Samosa, a popular Indian dish, came to India when empires from Central Asia invaded India.
In the former USSR, they are most associated with Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, where relatively settled agricultural societies had greater access to ovens in which to bake the pastry.
How Samsa Is Eaten
(ะะฐะบ ะฟัะฐะฒะธะปัะฝะพ ะตััั ัะฐะผัั?)
Samsa can be an appetizer, a small lunch, or a snack. Central Asian streets are dotted with samsa stands, offering them as quick and easy street-food. If one eats samsa for lunch, one will often order two, although some stands and restaurants will offer giant versions for those looking to make a meal of them. They go particularly well with tea and will often be available at a traditional tea house (ัะฐะนั ะพะฝะฐ)ย as well.
Samsa are often eaten plain, but also sometimes with sauce, particularly in Uzbekistan. This sauce is most often tomato-based and used for dipping.
Samsa are an everyday meal but also staples of holiday and festive tables. Formal Uzbek dinners will often start with a first course (ะฟะตัะฒะพะต ะฑะปัะดะพ) of meat-filled samsa. The second course (ะฒัะพัะพะต ะฑะปัะดะพ) is often a soup. The third course (ััะตััั ะฑะปัะดะพ) is very often plov (ะฟะปะพะฒ).
How to Properly Prepare Samsa
(ะะฐะบ ะฟัะฐะฒะธะปัะฝะพ ะณะพัะพะฒะธัั ัะฐะผัะฐ?)
The most traditional filling for samsa is mutton (ะฑะฐัะฐะฝะธะฝะฐ) or beef (ะณะพะฒัะดะธะฝะฐ). The are traditionally baked in a โัะฐะฝะดััโ (tandyr; often written as โtandoorโ in English). The tandoor is used across Asia and the Caucasus. They are cylindrical ovens, usually made from clay or sometimes metal. They are usually wood-fired from inside, a feature that adds considerable flavor to the samsa and breads cooked in them.
Samsa are often triangular, but can be nearly any geometric shape: round, triangular, rectangular, or square. Depending on the season and location, samsa can be filled with greens, cheese, mutton, beef, chicken, potatoes, or pumpkin. The nationality of the samsa can also affect its flavor palate. Often, they are made from just ground meat, onion, and salt. Uzbek samsa, however, often use cumin, black pepper, and red pepper in the meat, as well as sesame seeds on the top and a sauce on the side.
Samsa with greens are traditional in some Central Asian cultures for Nowruz celebrations.
Preparing Samsa
(ะะฐะฒะฐะน ะฟัะธะณะพัะพะฒะธะผ!)
This recipe is from a Russian-language cookbook ะะปัะดะฐ ัะทะฑะตะบัะบะพะน ะบัั ะฝะธ, ะจ.ะ. ะกะฐะปะธั ะพะฒ., that was written and printed in Uzbekistan in 1987. The English translation is provided by Caroline Murray. This recipe focuses on samsa with mutton or beef. However, feel free to substitute spinach, chicken, potatoes, or pumpkin for the filling.
ะกะพะผัะฐ ยซะะฐะฟะฐะบยป
ย ะะท ะผัะบะธ ะธ ะฒะพะดั ั ะดะพะฑะฐะฒะปะตะฝะธะตะผ ัะพะปะธ ะทะฐะผะตัะธะฒะฐัั ะบัััะพะต ัะตััะพ ะธ ะพััะฐะฒะปััั ะดะปั ัะฐัััะพะนะบะธ ะฝะฐ 30-40 ะผะธะฝัั. ะะฐัะตะผ ัะตััะพ ัะฐะทะดะตะปัะฒะฐัั ะฒ ะถะณััั, ะดะตะปัั ะฝะฐ ะบััะพัะบะธ, ะผะฐััะพะน 70 ะณ ะธ ัะฐัะบะฐััะฒะฐัั ะปะตะฟะตัะบะธ, ะฝะฐ ัะตัะตะดะธะฝั ะบะพัะพััั ัะบะปะฐะดัะฒะฐัั ัะฐัั ะผะฐััะพะน 90ะณ, ะบัะฐั ะทะฐะถะธะผะฐัั ะธ ะฟัะธะดะฐัั ะธะทะดะตะปะธั ะพะบััะณะปะพ-ะพะฒะฐะปัะฝัั ัะพัะผั. ะะปั ัะฐััะฐ: ะผััะพ ะฟัะพะฟััะบะฐัั ัะตัะตะท ะผััะพััะฑะบั, ัะพะตะดะธะฝััั ั ััะฑะปะตะฝัะผ ะปัะบะพะผ ัะตะฟัะฐััะผ, ะฝะฐัะตะทะฐะฝะฝัะน ะบัะฑะธะบะฐะผะธ, ะถะธัะพะผ-ััััะพะผ (ะฝะตะพะฑัะทะฐัะตะปัะฝัะน), ัะพะปัั, ะผะพะปะพััะผ ัะตัะฝัะผ ะฟะตััะตะผ. ะะพะปััะฐะฑัะธะบะฐั ะปะตะฟัั ะฝะฐ ัะฐัะบะฐะปะตะฝะฝัะต ะธ ัะฑััะทะฝัััะต ัะพะปะตะฝะพะน ะฒะพะดะพะน ััะตะฝะบะธ ัะฐะฝะดััะฐ, ัะฒะตัั ั ัะฑััะทะณะธะฒะฐัั ะฒะพะดะพะน, ะฒัะฟะตะบะฐัั ะฒ ัะตัะตะฝะธะต 25-30 ะผะธะฝัั. ะัะปะธ ะฝะตั ัะฐะฝะดััะฐ, ะธัะฟะพะปัะทัะนัะต ะฟัะพัััั ะดัั ะพะฒะบั. ะ ะฐะทะพะณัะตะนัะต ะดัั ะพะฒะบั ะดะพ 196 ะณัะฐะดััะพะฒ ะก. |
Samsa
ย Knead a firm dough from flour, water, and salt. Let it rest for 30-40 minutes. Then, cut the dough into 10 equal pieces. Roll the pieces flat. Onto each, place a tenth of your minced meat. Crimp the edges together, giving the dough a rounded oval form. For the meat: run the meat through a grinder and mix with diced, chopped onion, raw fat (optional), salt, and ground black pepper. The uncooked samsa are stuck to the hot tandoor walls and their tops lightly sprayed with salt water. Bake the samsa for 25-30 minutes. If there is no tandoor oven, use a regular oven heated to 385F. |
Our Favorite Samsa Videos
This video walks one through how to make flaky, crispy samsa simply and quickly. The narrator slowly and clearly talks the viewer through the recipe as they bake it. The recipe is in the video description in Russian and English.
ย
This video from the channel Uzbek Woman in the Kitchen (ะฃะทะฑะตะบัะฐ ะฝะฐ ะบัั ะฝะต) shows how to create the flakiest samsa. There is no narration in this video. The ingredients and directions are shown on the screen.
ย
This video from the channel Uzbek Woman Cooking (ะฃะทะฑะตะบัะฐ ะณะพัะพะฒะธั) has a different recipe with tomato in the filling and kefir in the dough. These changes will add more flavor to the samsa. This video does not have narration but does have clear graphics explaining the process.
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