Samsa (самса) is a popular stuffed pastry originating from Central Asia. Samsa has a triangular shape and is filled with a meat mixture, usually lamb or mutton, onions, and spices.
Samsa likely originates from the Central Asian region; in fact, it is incredibly popular in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Each of these countries offers slightly different variations of the pastry, mainly differing in the type of meat, spices, and preparation methods. In some places, vegetarian fillings are also used.
Samsa is a favorite as a snack or street food. It is often sold on the streets, in bakeries, and at markets.
Samsa is traditionally baked in clay ovens called tandyr (also known as tandoor or tandir, the same type of oven used to bake bread like tandyr nan). These ovens give samsa its characteristic crispiness and a slightly smoky aroma. The tandyr is a large clay or brick cylindrical oven, partially buried in the ground. The inside of the oven is heated with wood or charcoal, which burns at the bottom until the walls are evenly heated. This can take several hours, depending on the size of the oven and the type of fuel used. Prepared samsas are then carefully stuck to the inner walls of the tandyr and baked for about 10-15 minutes.
Removing samsa from the oven is done using a special rod with a wire basket at the end. This ensures that the samsa doesn’t fall to the bottom and burn. Especially during the hot summer months, it’s a challenging task due to the heat coming from the open oven.
Samsa is one of the must-try foods when visiting Central Asia. If you want to buy one, choose places where it’s freshly baked. The samsa shown in the photos above cost me 85 KGS (0.90 EUR) at the Osh bazaar in Bishkek. The mutton filling was perfectly seasoned and remarkably large.
A few minutes before I took a bite, I had to just sadly stare at it, as samsa straight out of the oven is simply too hot. But the taste was phenomenal.
Bon appétit!
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