‘I am told that the Samosa Caucus is now the flavour of the House.’ That was our PM quipping about the informal grouping of Indian-origin Americans in the US Congress – all Democrats, including vice-president Kamala Harris – last week. Before someone springs to cry ‘Appropriation!’ or, worse, start a ‘#KeepSamosasIndian!’ campaign, we raise a piping-hot piece to the great chutnification of the pyramidal delight that continues beyond its point of origin: the 10th-century Abbasid caliphate in modern-day Baghdad. The sanbusaj may have changed its flavour a bit by the time it entered 13th-14th-century India via Central Asian kitchens of the Delhi sultanate, but its variations are all triangulations of one of India’s favourite snacks – in 2022, it was the most-ordered snack on Swiggy, clocking some 4 million orders.
America knows its Samosa Caucus. It could do itself a big flavour by spreading the fried pastry’s taste. As for the caucus itself – ‘caucus’ signifying a conference of members of a legislative body who belong to a particular party – don’t be fooled by the friendly, crispy exterior. These folks can pack a punch when it comes to shaping policy. There is no equivalent group here in India of MPs of American origin. But when that does happen, the visiting American president could quip about Parliament‘s Uncle Samosa caucus.
