Samsa

A Central Asian baked pastry filled with minced or chopped meat and onions, traditionally baked against the walls of a clay oven.

Samsa: Golden triangular baked samsa pastries with flaky crust sprinkled with sesame seeds, one broken open showing meat and onion filling
  • Cakes, cookies, pastries and baked goods
  • Central Asia

Also called: somsa

Samsa is popular in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, and among Uyghur communities. The dough is often layered with butter or fat to make it flaky. It is filled with lamb or beef, onions and spices, folded into triangles, squares or rounds and baked in a tandoor until golden and crisp.

Samsa is a savory food, related to the South Asian samosa. Versions filled with pumpkin are common in autumn. It is included here as a pastry, not a dessert.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Uzbek samsa - a delicacy from tandoor, Uzbekistan National Tourism Information Centre (uzbekistan.travel)