What is samsa?
Samsa is a baked savory pastry from Central Asia, built around a meat filling and traditionally cooked in a wood-fired clay tandoor oven. The shape is usually a triangle or a square-ish parcel, closed at the seams and baked until the outside is firm and golden while the filling stays juicy inside. It is handheld food — no plate or fork required, though it is hot enough when fresh that most people give it a minute.
The name is a cousin of the word samosa, and the two are related, but samsa is the baked Central Asian form rather than the fried South Asian one.
Where does samsa come from?
Samsa belongs to the cooking of Central Asia — Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and the wider region along the old Silk Road trade routes. In those countries it is everyday food: baked in tandoors at bakeries and markets, bought warm, eaten standing up or carried home in paper.
Because the Silk Road moved recipes as much as goods, filled dough parcels like this turn up in a long line of regional variations stretching from the Middle East to India. Samsa is the Central Asian branch of that family, and it traveled with the region's emigrants — which is how a beef samsa ends up on a menu in Pompano Beach.
What is samsa made of?
Traditional samsa is made of two simple parts: an unleavened dough and a seasoned meat filling. The dough is often rolled thin and layered so it bakes up slightly flaky, though plenty of regional versions use a plainer, sturdier wrapper that holds the filling tightly. The classic filling is chopped or ground meat with onion, seasoned and sealed in raw so that it cooks inside the pastry and keeps its juices there.
Beef and lamb are the usual meats across the region. At New Level the samsa is beef.
Samsa vs. empanada: what's the difference?
Samsa and empanada are both filled dough parcels, but they come from opposite ends of the world and differ in shape, dough and cooking method.
- Origin: samsa is Central Asian; the empanada comes from Spain and Portugal and became a staple across Latin America.
- Shape: samsa is typically triangular or square and sealed at the seams; an empanada is a half-moon, usually crimped or braided along the curved edge.
- Dough: samsa dough is often thin and layered for a crisp bake; empanada dough is commonly a softer pastry, and in many countries a corn-based one.
- Cooking: samsa is baked, traditionally in a tandoor; empanadas are baked or fried depending on the region.
If you like an empanada, you will recognize the idea immediately. The texture is what tends to surprise people first.
How is samsa eaten?
Samsa is eaten warm, with your hands, as a snack or a light meal rather than a side dish. In Central Asia it is breakfast on the way somewhere, lunch on a bench, or something to put on the table when guests arrive. It is almost always served with tea, and that pairing — something hot to drink against something rich and savory — is the whole point.
It travels well, too, which is why samsa is street food in its home countries. Order it to stay or take it with you.
Which coffee should you order with samsa?
An Americano is the easiest match for samsa, because the filling is rich and an Americano stays clean and unsweetened next to it. If you want something with milk, a Cappuccino gives you a little softness without turning the pairing into dessert, and an Iced Latte does the same job on a warm Florida afternoon.
Save the Caramel Macchiato for a slice of cake afterward. Our coffee is espresso-based and specialty across the board — you can see the full lineup on the coffee section of our home page or read more about the espresso, cappuccino and latte we pour.
"I stopped there just to grab a quick coffee, and now I honestly have a hard time drinking coffee anywhere else! The flavor is smooth, rich, and never burnt." — Nataliia, Google review
Where can you try beef samsa in Pompano Beach?
You can try beef samsa at New Level Coffee & Bakery, 698 East McNab Road, Pompano Beach, FL 33060. We're open every day, 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM, including weekends, for dine-in and takeout, and the phone is +1 786-606-1786 if you need to reach us.
Beef samsa and Chicken Quiche are the two food items on our menu, and either one makes a good reason to sit down with a coffee. Guests come to us from Lighthouse Point — about five minutes by car — as well as Deerfield Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Read more about both on our Chicken Quiche and beef samsa page, and if you're staying for something sweet, the cakes are made in-house daily.