Indian samosa lovers are expressing their displeasure on the social media after contestants at a British cooking reality show were asked to come up with “sweet samosa.”
Organizers of the Great British Bake Off (GBBO) had a “Samosa Special” for their Pastry Week Celebrations recently, and asked contestants to make six savory and six sweet samosas for the challenge. Indians were looking forward to the outcome of the show to see how innovative the samosas can get.
While some of the savory and crispy samosas baked on the show impressed Indians, some others, like sweet samosas, were frowned upon. They pointed online that traditional Indian samosa is made of vegetables and herbs, and while recipes vary from person to person and region to region, the main ingredient is always potato. Some samosas are also made with minced chicken or lamb meat. However, a samosa is always enjoyed with sweet and spicy sauces.
While a samosa is to India what fish and chips are to the British, the fact is samosas aren’t really Indian. It was introduced to India by Islamist invaders from Persia where it is made of meat and local herbs. After the Portuguese introduced potatoes in India, potatoes replaced meat and samosas became popular among masses.
While many netizens were horrified by the very idea of sweet samosas, others were willing to give the organizers and the contestants a chance to see what comes out of the idea.
For instance, one contestant, Rahul, made “misti samosas” with “Bengali Sandesh, dried fruit, and nuts” while another contestant Jon came up with samosas filled with creamy orange custard.
Several Twitter users, however, did not take it kindly.
Christie Golton said that her Indian grandma sure knows that the samosa cannot be sweet and is never meant to be.
https://twitter.com/ChristieGolton/status/1047202885698838529
Maunika Gowardhan pointed out that while keema or potato filling is fine, dates, pears, tagines, and stilton are not.
https://twitter.com/cookinacurry/status/1047203313467502592
Others also made it clear that they do not agree with the idea at all.
https://twitter.com/aak1880/status/1047200666907762688
I hate the fact I second guessed myself and thought "wait, is sweet samosa a thing"
IT'S NOT A THING!
— Yogesh (@Y_Tay_) October 2, 2018
And now they have to go and anglicise a completely perfect recipe. Sweet samosas are an abomination #GBBO #SweetSamosa
— Geetanjali (@i_Epiphany) October 4, 2018
https://twitter.com/KuljitAthwal/status/1047200975272992768
https://twitter.com/emilymas_/status/1047518136365457411
https://twitter.com/Jasminepal21/status/1047201844106342400
While a majority of twitterati went hammer and tongs over sweet samosas, others welcomed the concept. Some even pointed out that Gujaratis have a sweet tooth and make sweet samosas.
In Gujarat sweet samosas with coconut and other things in it are a thing. Utterly delicious
— mushu (@apricater) October 2, 2018
Not really, only those who aren't aware may be
I had a #SweetSamosa 20 years ago in #India itself
It's not commonly available but those are #ToDieFor
Of course, you wouldn't know that#GBBO— TappasVik (@TappasVik) October 4, 2018