SAMBOUSAK - SAMBUSAK

Welcome to the SAMBOUSAK - SAMBUSAK page of Jewish World Life Online
Sambousak can have different spellings, which can be confusing!

Sambusak features two distinct regional styles within Jewish culinary tradition, reflecting Sephardic and Mizrahi influences.

The Sephardi version is typically a thicker, baked pastry filled with cheese or beef and finished with a topping of sesame or nigella seeds.

In contrast, Mizrahi sambusak is larger and thinner, fried until crisp, and stuffed with a savory curry-spiced chickpea and onion filling, usually served without a seed coating.

Background:
Israeli sambusak is a savory, crescent-shaped stuffed pastry introduced to the country by Mizrahi and Sephardic Jewish immigrants, particularly those from Iraq, Syria, and Egypt.

Wrapped in a crisp dough pocket, this popular staple is traditionally filled with savory options ranging from curry-spiced chickpeas to salty cheeses or seasoned minced meat.

• Origin: Mizrahi
• My Grandmother's Cheese Sambusek
• Fried Sambusak (meat)
• Chickpea Sambusak
• Sambusak B'Tawa (Iraqi Turnovers with Chickpeas and Turmeric)