It’s time to turn the spotlight on this flavor packed, deep fried vegetable snack that we usually find in Indian restaurants around town: The samosa.

A samosa is a pyramid-shaped fried dumpling that is made with potatoes, onion, cheese, peas and lots of spice! With the recent popularity of Indian restaurants in Cebu, more and more people are getting hooked on samosas. It’s simple but also relies on proper technique to get right: A good samosa would have a slightly crisp layer and a flavorful filling.

Here are five trivia tidbits about the fried delight we’ve all come to love:

Roots outside of India

While it is very popular in Indian cuisine, it traces its roots to the Middle East in the 9th century. Evidence of the samosa in India only comes up by the 13th century, as literature points out that the snack was brought to the country by Middle Eastern traders and chefs.

Empanada’s distant cousin

It’s hard not to see the resemblance, really. But some historians believe that Spain’s empanada is a modified version of the samosa. While the samosa is pyramid-shaped and is best enjoyed with a variety of spicy dips, the empanada is crescent-shaped and can be enjoyed on its own.

Originally not vegetarian

According to the records of a medieval Moroccan traveler named Ibn Batuta, the samosa is “minced meat cooked with almonds, pistachios, onions, and spices placed inside a thin envelope of wheat and deep-fried in ghee.”

Banned substance

In 2011, an extremist group in Somalia banned the cooking, buying or eating of samosas. It was not because it was bad or it was too spicy. As the snacks were in the shape of a triangle, they believed that it carried the symbol of the Christian Holy Trinity.

Healthier alternative

When pitting deep-fried dishes against the other, the samosa comes up on top as one of the healthier alternatives. Samosas are freshly prepared without a touch of preservatives or food flavoring.

Order your samosas today from Cebu’s Middle Eastern and Indian restaurants. Happy World Samosa Day!