Sambusa

Descended from the samosa family that traveled with Arab and Indian Muslim traders along the Red Sea and Indian Ocean from roughly the 13th century onward. The Ethiopian version landed firmly in Muslim communities — Harar, Dire Dawa, the Somali border — and adopted local berbere and green chili instead of the South Asian garam masala spectrum.

Descended from the samosa family that traveled with Arab and Indian Muslim traders along the Red Sea from the 13th century onward. A soggy bottom means the oil dropped below 175°C — the wrap is closer to spring-roll skin than samosa pastry.

A crisp triangle the size of a palm, blistered golden from the fryer, filled with spiced lentils or minced beef cut with onion and green chili. The shell shatters; the inside is hot enough to steam. Sold from street carts during Ramadan iftar especially, eaten with awaze or a squeeze of lemon. A soggy bottom means the oil dropped below 175°C.

The dough is the giveaway: a thin wheat-flour wrap closer to a spring-roll skin than a samosa pastry, sealed with flour-water paste. The lentil filling is the fasting-day version — it suits both the Ethiopian Orthodox fasts, which bar animal products on Wednesdays, Fridays and during Lent, and the Muslim fast of Ramadan — while the meat filling is reserved for breaking the fast and for holidays. The triangle shape locks steam against the filling so the lentils finish cooking inside the shell during the fry.