Sevilla Eats: Andaluz piñonate - the long lost twin of Chinese 薩其馬 saqima!
One of my favorite Chinese sweets is 薩其馬, or sa qi ma. Basically it's fried noodle shapes bound together with a sweet syrup, and then cut into squares.
How surprised I was to find it in Sevilla, at traditional bakeries! Here's one I bought from a bakery in Triana. It's called piñonate.
Another from the Ines Rosales (a maker of tortas de aceite) outlet.
Compare the above images with this one of 薩其馬 I got from the web!
(image source: http://www.douguo.com/cookbook/1051251.html)
Really just the same! The main difference for me is that the noodles of 薩其馬 have a more fluffy texture, while those of the piñonate is more biscuit-like.
Both, though, are delicious. Great (pastry chef) minds really do think alike!
