Empanadas vs Samosas vs Cornish Pasties: What's the Difference?

Three of the world's most famous filled pastries. All three wrap savoury filling in dough. All three travel well and eat easily by hand. All three developed as working-class food. And yet they are meaningfully different foods with different textures, different flavours, and different roles at the table. This is the honest side-by-side.

Comparison at a glance

Feature	Empanada	Samosa	Cornish pasty
Origin	Spain to Argentina, via Middle Eastern fatayer	Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent	Cornwall, England (protected designation)
Shape	Half-moon, folded with a repulgue crimp on top	Triangular pyramid, folded and pleated	D-shape, thick crimp along the top edge
Dough	Wheat flour with fat, thin, slightly enriched	Wheat flour or maida, thin and crisp	Shortcrust pastry, thicker and sturdier
Filling	Pre-cooked beef, chicken, cheese, or vegetables. Onion, cumin, paprika, garlic	Spiced potato and peas, sometimes lamb or paneer. Cumin, coriander, mustard seed, chilli	Diced beef, potato, swede (rutabaga), onion. Salt and pepper, minimal spice
Cook method	Baked (most common) or deep-fried	Deep-fried almost always	Baked, never fried
Size	3 to 4 bites, palm-sized	3 to 4 bites, palm-sized	Larger, one pasty is a full meal
Eaten with	Chimichurri, Malbec, sometimes salsa criolla	Mint and tamarind chutney, chai	Nothing on the side, sometimes ale or tea
Role	Snack, starter, meal, or party food	Snack or street food, tea-time	Full meal, especially lunch

The empanada

An empanada is a filled pastry sealed with a traditional repulgue fold. The word comes from the Spanish empanar, meaning to wrap in bread. The Argentinian empanada, the most recognised version, uses a thin wheat-flour dough, a half-moon shape, and a pre-cooked filling. The crimped edge (repulgue) is a hallmark. Different repulgue patterns are used in Argentina to signal what is inside, especially in a mixed batch.

Empanadas are baked more often than fried, especially in home cooking. Salteña empanadas from northern Argentina are the exception, always fried. Fillings are meat-heavy but not exclusively: cheese and vegetable versions are staples. The signature seasoning is onion, paprika, cumin, and garlic. Argentinian empanadas are eaten with chimichurri and, if it is a full meal, Argentinian Malbec. See our complete guide to Argentinian empanadas for the regional styles.

The samosa

Samosas travelled to India from Central Asia (via the trade routes through Persia and Afghanistan) somewhere between the 10th and 14th centuries. The word itself derives from the Persian sanbosag. The Indian samosa evolved into the version that is now recognised worldwide: a triangular pyramid of thin wheat dough, deep-fried, and filled with spiced potato, peas, and sometimes lamb or paneer.

The samosa is street food and tea-time food. It is served with mint and tamarind chutneys, and eaten with chai. The seasoning is bold: cumin, coriander seed, mustard seed, ginger, chilli, garam masala. The dough is thinner and crisper than an empanada, and the deep-frying gives it a shattering crunch. A samosa is usually eaten in a single sitting as a snack, not as a main meal.

The Cornish pasty

The Cornish pasty is a D-shaped, shortcrust, baked pastry from Cornwall, England. Its origins are working-class: pasties were the traditional lunch for Cornish tin miners in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the thick crimped edge along the top was designed as a disposable handle. Miners with arsenic-stained hands could hold the pasty by the crimp, eat the filling, and discard the crust without contamination.

The filling is minimalist: diced beef, potato, swede (a large yellow-fleshed root vegetable known as rutabaga in North America), and onion, seasoned only with salt and pepper. Modern Cornish pasty makers protect the recipe under a European PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) that requires production in Cornwall to be called a Cornish pasty. The dough is a firm shortcrust that holds its structure over a long day. A single pasty is a full meal.

Our detailed empanada vs pasty comparison covers the structural and cultural differences in more depth.

Which one is right for you

The three foods are not really in competition, but if you are choosing based on the meal you want, this is the honest answer.

• Choose an empanada if you want a meal, an entree, or party food that can flex between three or four flavours (meat, cheese, vegan) and works with wine.
• Choose a samosa if you want a spiced, deep-fried snack with strong chutneys, best eaten fresh from the fryer with a hot drink.
• Choose a Cornish pasty if you want a full, filling, one-pastry meal with minimal seasoning and a sturdy hand-hold.

What Argentum makes

Argentum Empanadas makes the Argentinian version in a commercial kitchen in Bondi Beach. Six active flavours delivered frozen across Sydney by default, baked or fried in beef tallow for catering and at markets. Bake at 190C for 18 to 22 minutes from frozen.

• Carnivore. Slow-cooked grass-fed brisket, onion, garlic, capsicum.
• Athlete. Free-range chicken, lemon, curry, mozzarella, green olives.
• Classic. Three-cheese with caramelised onion.
• Patagonia. Vegan, in a green dough: grilled mushroom, spinach, kale, carrot, potato cheese.
• Habibi Yalla. Open-top Middle Eastern style: beef, tomato, lemon, parsley, onion.
• Hamazing. Smoky leg ham and mozzarella cheese. The crowd-pleaser: kids love it, offices order it twice.

Frequently asked questions