History of samosa

Originally named samsa, after the pyramids in Central Asia, historical accounts also refer to it as sanbusak, sanbusaq or even sanbusaj, all deriving from the Persian word, sanbosag.

The first mention of samosa can be found around the 10th or 11th century in the Middle East, in historian Abolfazl Beyhaqi's work Tarikh-e Beyhaghi, where it is referred to as sambosa. He describes a dainty delicacy, served as a snack in the great courts of the mighty Ghaznavid empire. The fine pastry was filled with minced meats, nuts and dried fruit and then deep fried till the pastry was crisp.

The Central Asian samsa was introduced to the Indian subcontinent in the 13th or 14th century by chefs from the Middle East and Central Asia who cooked in the royal kitchens for the rules of the Delhi Sultanate, although some accounts also credit merchants for bringing the fare to this part of the world.

In the older days, people would cook the mince-filled triangles over campfire and eat them as snacks during travel. And after having earned the blessings of the Indian royalty, the snack soon became food fit for the king.

Once the samosa was taken up and tailored to local tastes, it becoming the world's first fast food. Ibn Battuta, the medieval Moroccan traveler who visited India in the 14th century, has chronicled the glittering banquets at the court of Muhammad bin Tughlaq. According to his accounts, a dish called sambusak (aka samosa) made with minced meat, walnuts, pistachios, almonds, and spices being served as part of a royal meal in the court of Muhammad bin Tughluq.

The samosa is endlessly adaptable and India introduced its own spices - adding coriander, pepper, caraway seeds, ginger and more.
History of samosa

History of tortilla chips

The traditional method to produce tortillas from corn was developed by Aztec Indians in the region of Mexico. As early as the 1890s, US cookbooks featured recipes for tortillas. Yet many of the recipes departed form Mexican traditions and seem designed to minimize preparations time.

Tortillas are employed in America to make tacos, enchiladas, burritos and many other Mexican style foods and are also the base for various snack foods, such as tortilla chips.

Tortilla chips were first mass produced in Long Angeles in 1940s. Rebecca Webb Carranza produced the first tortilla chip as a way to make use of rejected tortillas when she discovered that the discarded fried tortillas were becoming popular as a snack.

The chips were sold for a dime a bag at their El Zarape Tortilla Factory. The Tortilla Association credited Rebecca for inventing the tortilla chip in 1990s, giving her the Golden Tortilla award.

By 1950, Popular Mechanics magazine referred to Los Angeles as the home of the tortilla chip.

Tortilla chips became popular outside of California in the late 1970s as they competed with corn chips. Salsa is often paired with tortilla chips and has captured significant portion of the American condiment market since the 1980s.

The tortilla chip was designated as the official state snack of Texas in 2003.
History of tortilla chips