Sambuusa

Thin pastry is folded into triangles around spiced minced beef, onion and chilli, then fried crisp. A favourite for breaking the fast, they are eaten across the Horn of Africa during Ramadan.

Sambuusa, the Somali take on the samosa, traces its lineage to the medieval Middle East and South Asia, where similar stuffed pastries spread along trade routes. Its exact arrival in the Horn of Africa is not precisely documented, and its origins are debated, but by the 20th century it had become a staple of Somali street food and home cooking.

Across Somalia and neighboring regions, the filling varies—often spiced beef or camel meat, sometimes vegetables or lentils—but the triangular, crisply fried form remains constant. Deeply tied to Ramadan, sambuusa is a beloved iftar dish, symbolizing communal sharing and the breaking of the daily fast, and it is also served at weddings and festive gatherings throughout the Horn of Africa.