- What other names/forms/varieties does your food have?
- Across the Arab world, my food is universally called samboosa. However, it takes similar forms and pronunciations in other cultures. For example, samboosa is larger and denser in Indian culture, and called “samosa.”
- What are the main ingredients of your food (if it is a dish)? What are additional ingredients added sometimes or in some places?
- Ingredients include dough which is later fried, and a typical filling of vegetable or cheese. Meat is also occasionally used as a filling.
- Where does your food come from? Where do the ingredients come from?
- My food is Middle Eastern, and the ingredients are readily available at any grocery store since it is such a simple food.
- Who eats your food? Who doesn’t eat your food?
- In the Middle East, everyone eats samboosa. It is an integral and accessible finger food in Arab culture. However, some variations of it like samboosa with cheese or meat may be unsuitable for vegetarians and/or vegans.
- What is your food associated with?
- My food is associated with simple and universal Middle Eastern food. It is easily accessible, and exists in abundance in the lives of most Arab people.
- What does this food mean to you? What associations do you have with this food?
- To me, this food is nostalgic and comforting. I relate it to home and my childhood.
- List as many memories associated with this food as you can.
- When I was younger my mom made a lot of clothes, so I’d accompany her on trips to the fabric market. We’d spend hours there, and I’d look forward to our samboosa breaks from the cafe in the middle of the market.
- The baker at my local supermarket made samboosas that my friends and family and I would get all the time as a snack. They were also really cheap so I’d get them at times I was really broke.
- Draw your food.
Questions about my food:
- How did the bakers back home get into making them? Since most places that sell them are very old, is it a family trade?
- What are the health impacts of my food?
- How does my food vary across the world?
- How does the price range change across cultures?
- Is my food gentrified in the western world?
