Sachima

Sachima
Sachima
Sachima
Alternative namesShāqímǎ, mǎzǎi
TypePastry
Place of originManchuria
Created byManchu people
Main ingredientsFlour, butter, rock sugar
Variationsby region including raisins, sesame, coconut, etc
Similar dishesMayway mont
Sachima
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese沙琪瑪
Simplified Chinese沙琪玛
Hanyu Pinyinshāqímǎ
Cantonese Yalesākèimáh
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinshāqímǎ
Bopomofoㄕㄚ ㄑㄧˊ ㄇㄚˇ
IPA[ʂátɕʰǐmà]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationsākèimáh
Jyutpingsaa1kei4maa5
Sidney Lausa1kei4ma5
IPA[sáːkʰȅima̬ː]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJsoa-kî-má
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese薩其馬
Simplified Chinese萨其马
Hanyu Pinyinsàqímǎ
Cantonese Yalesaatkèimáh
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinsàqímǎ
Bopomofoㄙㄚˋ ㄑㄧˊ ㄇㄚˇ
IPA[sâtɕʰǐmà]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationsaatkèimáh
Jyutpingsaat3kei4maa5
Sidney Lausaat3kei4ma5
IPA[sāːt̚kʰȅima̬ː]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJsat-kî-má
Second alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese馬仔
Simplified Chinese马仔
Hanyu Pinyinmǎzǎi
Cantonese Yalemáhjái
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinmǎzǎi
Bopomofoㄇㄚˇ ㄗㄞˇ
IPA[màtsàɪ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationmáhjái
Jyutpingmaa5zai2
Sidney Lauma5jai2
IPA[ma̬ːtsɐ̌i]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJmá-á
Manchu name
Manchu scriptᠰᠠᠴᡳᠮᠠ
Abkaisaqima
Möllendorffsacima

Sachima (simplified Chinese: 沙琪玛; traditional Chinese: 沙琪瑪; pinyin: Shāqímǎ) is a sweet snack originating in Chinese cuisine made of fluffy strands of deep-fried batter bound together with a stiff sugar syrup. It originated in Manchuria and is now popular throughout China. It can be found in Taiwan as well as in overseas Chinese communities, most notably in Malaysia and Singapore. Its decoration and flavor vary across different regional Chinese cuisines, but the appearance of all versions is essentially the same. Its appearance has been compared to that of a Rice Krispies Treat, although sachima is far older.

Etymology

Sachima comes from Manchu word sacima, which is in turn a modification of the word sacimbi, meaning cut; the affix -mbi was replaced with the affix -ma.

History

Historical documents show that sachima was popular in the Qing dynasty, in keeping with the preference for sweet, sticky, or wheat-based snacks favored by Manchu cuisine at the time. The spread of sachima across different regions of China can be viewed as part of the Manchu-Han cultural exchange facilitated by the Qing court.

Regional variations/Similar Foods

Sachima sold in Hong Kong

Manchu

Originally, in Manchu cuisine sachima is a sweet snack. It mainly consists of flour, butter, and rock sugar. It is now popular in mainland China among children and adults.

Cantonese

The Cantonese pastry version of sachima is slightly sweet. It is also made of essentially the same ingredients as the other varieties of sachima. However, it is often sprinkled with sesame seeds, raisins or dried coconut. The Cantonese variety of sachima ranges from chewy to crunchy in texture.

Fujian

Many of the Fujian distribution companies manufacture packaged versions of sachima. This version has sesame and is made of wheat flour, vegetable oil, egg, milk, granular sugar, and malt sugar. The taste is comparatively plain compared to the more sweetened Cantonese version.

Mauritius

In Mauritius, sachima is called "gâteau macaroni" (lit. "macaroni cake"). It is a traditional Chinese cake sold and eaten by Sino-Mauritians.

Myanmar (Burma)

A similar dish called mayway mont (မရွေးမုန့်), consisting of puffed grains of early ripened glutinous rice congealed into a mass with jaggery syrup, is a popular traditional Burmese snack or mont.

Vietnam

A similar dish called bánh bỏng gạo or khẩu sli consisting of puffed grains of early ripened glutinous rice congealed into a mass, along with sugar, ginger, and sometimes peanut, is a traditional dessert of the Tay and Giay people. It is also popular in the northern provinces of Lai Chau, Cao Bang, Bac Giang.

Korea

A similar dish called oranda (오란다) consisting of puffed grains such as pumpkin seeds and black sesame seeds, stuck together and sweetened with natural sugars like rice syrup and malt syrup, can be found in Korea. It is a popular gift for important events such as weddings, birthday parties, Seollal and Chuseok. Oranda has a softer texture than many sachima variations.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "古早味點心 | 沙琪瑪 - 食譜自由配 - 自由電子報". 自由電子報 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 2018-12-15. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  2. ↑ Tsou, Chen-yu (2022-07-17). "台中腦麻女路邊賣沙琪瑪「1個10元」 網心疼：拜託幫她撐遮陽傘". ETtoday新聞雲 (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  3. ↑ Mai, Xiao Jian (2021-04-17). "古早好味 | 夫唱妇随半世纪 · 眼明手快制作萨琪玛". Sin Chew Daily (in Chinese (Malaysia)). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  4. ↑ Huang, Jing Jing (2024-12-30). "50年匠心手艺 9小时制作的拔丝沙琪玛不容错过！". Lianhe Zaobao (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  5. ↑ Kiniry, Laura (2021-02-16). "The syrupy treat that helped China's Manchu Army conquer the Ming Dynasty | CNN". CNN. Retrieved 2026-08-11.
  6. 1 2 Ying, Jiayu (2024). "A Brief Discussion on the Inheritance and Change of Manchu Food Culture". Proceedings of the 2024 International Conference on Social Sciences and Educational Development (ICOSSED 2024). 887: 229–236.
  7. ↑ According to the list of ingredients on a package of Sachima from the Zhangzhou distribution company in Fujian province.
  8. ↑ admin (2012-01-19). "GÂTEAUX TRADITIONNELS CHINOIS: Le choix des saveurs". Le Mauricien (in French). Retrieved 2021-05-01.
  9. 1 2 Nam, Seung-hyun (2022-10-15). "뚱이네, 2022 광주식품대전 참가... 대표 제품 오란다 비롯한 수제 과자 다채롭게 공개!". 에이빙(AVING) (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  10. 1 2 Son, Geun-bang (2020-09-09). "[충북일보] 영동 마을기업 영농조합법인 토담, 오란다 해외 진출". 충북일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  11. ↑ Kang, Kyung-min (2023-09-16). "타타르(따따르) 민족 영혼의 달콤함, 착착(Чак Чак)!". 문화뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  12. ↑ Kang, Young-ah (2024-02-08). "전통 간식 만들어 따뜻한 명절 맞이해요!". 수원시인터넷신문 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  13. ↑ Kim, Yu-jin (2024-01-25). "시루아네, 내달 12일까지 '2024 설날 선물세트' 할인행사 펼친다". 제민일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  14. ↑ Kim, Myeong-hwan (2024-09-11). ""롯데만의 특별한 추석 선물세트 제안"". 대구일보 (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-03-25.