Sachima Sweet Pastry 萨其马
Sachima Sweet Pastry is featured among the local specialties of Xinjiang.
Sachima Sweet Pastry (萨其马), written 沙琪玛 in most Chinese sources, is a square sweet pastry made mainly from flour and egg, set down for Kashgar Prefecture.
What kind of pastry it is
The source identifies two raw materials as the core of the pastry – flour and egg – and describes the finished form as a square, golden, sweet cake. The name itself is Manchu: 沙琪玛 comes from sacima, which is why the same sweet appears under several spellings, 沙其马 and 萨其马 among them, and under a different name, 马仔 or 玛仔, in Hong Kong.
How it eats
The source gives the eating quality directly: the pastry is soft, sweet and fragrant, with a golden colour. That combination – a sweet, tender bite with a strong aroma – is what makes it a tea-table sweet rather than a dessert to finish a meal. Because the pieces are cut into squares, a plate can be passed around and each person takes a small block.
A name that travelled
The Manchu origin of the name sits oddly with the record that lists 萨其马 for Kashgar Prefecture in Xinjiang, and it is worth being explicit about what that means. Such a record says the name is used in a place; it is not a statement that the sweet was invented there, and the source itself says nothing about a Kashgar version. The pastry's recorded history is the name and its spread, including the Hong Kong usage 马仔 or 玛仔.
Ingredients and dietary questions
Flour and egg mean this is a wheat product, so it does not suit a gluten-free diet, and it is a sweet, which rules out a sugar-free one. Some versions add nuts, sesame or dried fruit, and the source does not describe those additions, so ask at the counter or read the label rather than assuming a plain piece. Anyone avoiding egg should treat the pastry as off the table by default, because egg is one of its two named ingredients.
Buying it
It is sold by weight, cut into squares, which makes a small purchase easy: ask for a piece or two rather than a whole box if you are only curious. Ask whether the shop made it on site or is selling a packaged brand, because that changes how fresh the pastry is. If you are buying to carry home, choose the wrapped or boxed version, since the pieces are soft and press against each other in a bag.
How it is served
The pastry belongs on a plate with tea, cut into blocks and shared, which is how its square shape is used to best effect. It is sweet and rich enough that one or two pieces finish a cup, and it is the kind of sweet that suits a pause in the afternoon rather than a formal dessert course.
More dishes to compare
Explore related local specialties and compare their names, preparation notes and ordering guidance.
Nang bread 馕 →
Nang bread (馕) is a Xinjiang flatbread baked against the wall of a tandur oven, savoury, chewy and eaten with meals or tea. 萨其马 is the opposite position on the same table: a square sweet pastry of flour and egg, soft and sugary, cut into pieces and eaten as a confection. One is everyday bread, the other is a sweet bought by weight.
Questions before you order
Is 萨其马 the same as 沙琪玛?
Yes. The source records 沙琪玛 as the name derived from the Manchu word sacima and lists 沙其马 and 萨其马 as alternative writings of the same pastry, with 马仔 or 玛仔 used in Hong Kong.
Does the record for Kashgar mean the pastry comes from there?
No. The listing records that the name is used in the area; the source itself traces the name to Manchu and says nothing about a Kashgar origin. Treat the record as a place association rather than as a history of invention.
Source introduction: Wikipedia contributors: 沙琪玛 · CC BY-SA 4.0. English translation and adaptation of the cited introduction, with additional preparation and ordering guidance.
Sources & reading
Named culinary source added during the audit. Source origin and local variants remain distinct; this is not a claim that all preparations have been individually verified.