A curry puff is a snack of Maritime Southeast Asian origin. It is a small pie consisting of curry with chicken and potatoes in a deep-fried or baked pastry shell. The consistency of the curry is quite thick to prevent it from oozing out of the snack. The pap or puff reflects the Fujian Chinese dialect 泡, which means bubble, blister and puffed. It is a truly Southeast Asian snack as it has Indian, Chinese or Malay elements.
Although the origins of this snack are uncertain, the snack is believed to have originated in Maritime Southeast Asia due in part to the various influences of the British Cornish pasty, the Portuguese empanada and the Indian samosa during the colonial era. The curry puff is one of several "puff" type pastries with different fillings, though now it is by far the most common. Other common varieties include eggs, sardines, root vegetables and onions, or sweet fillings such as yam.
Various kinds of curry puff are enjoyed throughout Southeast Asia and India.