Dim sum

Dim sum () is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch. There are over one thousand dim sum dishes originating from Guangdong alone, a total that no other area in China comes even close to matching. In fact, the cookbooks of most Chinese food cultures tend to combine their own variations on dim sum dishes with other local snacks. But that is not the case with Cantonese dim sum, which has developed into a separate branch of cuisine. The tea is very important, just as important as the food. Dim sum restaurants have a unique serving method where servers offer dishes to customers from steam-heated carts.

Etymology

The original meaning of the term "dim sum" remains unclear and contested. Some references state that the term originated in the Eastern Jin dynasty (317 AD–420 AD). According to one legend, to show soldiers gratitude after battles, a general had civilians make buns and cakes to send to the front lines. "Gratitude" or 點點心意 (), later shortened to , of which is the Cantonese pronunciation, came to represent dishes made similarly.

Some versions date the legend to the Southern Song dynasty (960–1279) after the term's earliest attestation in the Book of Tang ().' Chinese food historian Yan-kit So has described dim sum as:<blockquote>Literally translated as "so close to the heart", they are, in reality, a large range of hors d'oeuvres Cantonese people traditionally enjoy in restaurants (previously teahouses) for breakfast and lunch but never for dinner, washed down with tea. "Let's go yum cha" (to drink tea) is understood among the Cantonese to mean going to a restaurant for dim sum; such is the twin linkage between the food and the beverage.</blockquote>

Cuisine

There are at least two thousand types of dim sum in total across China, Dim sum are usually eaten as breakfast or brunch. Cantonese dim sum has a very broad range of flavors, textures, cooking styles, and ingredients, so that people prefer eating scaled-down meals throughout the day rather than the customary three large meals. A traditional dim sum brunch includes various types of steamed buns, such as cha siu bao (a steamed bun filled with barbecue pork), rice or wheat dumplings, and rice noodle rolls that contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns, and vegetarian options. Many dim sum restaurants also offer plates of steamed green vegetables, stuffed eggplant, stuffed green peppers, roasted meats, congee and other soups. Dessert dim sum is also available and can be ordered at any time since there is not a set sequence for the meal. Small portion sizes allow people to try a wide variety of food.

Dumplings

{| class="wikitable collapsible"

! Name !! Image !! Chinese !! Description

|Shrimp dumpling

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|(; haa1 gaau2)

|steamed dumpling with shrimp filling.

|Teochew dumpling

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|()

|steamed dumpling with peanuts, garlic, Chinese chives, pork, dried shrimp, and Chinese mushrooms.

|Chive dumpling

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|()

|steamed dumpling with Chinese chives.

|Xiaolongbao

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|dumplings containing a rich broth and filled with meat or seafood.

|Tangbao

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| soup-filled steamed buns

|Guotie

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|pan-fried dumpling, usually with meat and cabbage filling.

|Shark fin dumpling

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|steamed dumplings with shrimp, crab sticks, shiitake, and straw mushrooms.

|Shumai

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|steamed dumplings with pork and prawns, usually topped off with crab roe and mushroom.

|Taro dumpling

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| deep-fried dumpling made with mashed taro and stuffed with diced mushrooms, shrimp, and pork.

|Haam seui gok

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|deep-fried dumpling with a slightly savory filling of pork and chopped vegetables in a sweet and sticky wrapping.

|Dumpling soup

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|soup with one or two big dumplings.

|Wonton

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|dumpling filled with ground pork and shrimp

Rolls

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! Name !! Image !! Chinese !! Description

|Spring roll

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|a deep-fried roll with various sliced vegetables (such as carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, and wood ear fungus) and sometimes meat.

|Tofu skin roll

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| a roll made of tofu skin filled with various meats and sliced vegetables.

|Fresh bamboo roll

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|a roll made of tofu skin filled with minced pork and bamboo shoot, typically served in an oyster sauce broth.

|Four-treasure chicken roll

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|a roll made of tofu skin filled with chicken, Jinhua ham, fish maw (), and Chinese mushroom.

|Cifantuan

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|steamed glutinous rice rolls

|Rice noodle roll

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|steamed rice noodles with or without meat or vegetable filling. Popular fillings include: beef, dough fritter, shrimp, and barbecued pork. Often served with sweetened soy sauce.

|Zhaliang

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|steamed rice noodles rolled around youjagwai (), typically doused in soy sauce, hoisin sauce, or sesame paste, and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

|Duckfeet Roll

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|鴨腳扎

|Duck feet wrapped in bean curd sheets.

Buns

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! Name !! Image !! Chinese !! Description

|Barbecued pork bun

|150px<br>150px

| ()

|bun with barbecued pork filling steamed to be white and fluffy. is a variant that is glazed and baked for a golden appearance.

|Sweet cream bun

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|()

|steamed bun with milk custard filling.

|Lotus seed bun

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|()

|steamed bun with lotus seed paste filling.

|Pineapple bun

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|()

|a usually sweet bread roll that does not contain pineapple but has a topping textured like pineapple skin.

|Longevity peach

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|()

|lotus seed bun sometimes with a filling made of red bean paste or lotus paste.

|Steamed Chinese Sausage Rolls

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|()

|steamed chinese sausage in a bun

Cakes

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! Name !! Image !! Chinese !! Description

| Turnip cake

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|pudding made from a mix of shredded white radish, bits of dried shrimp, Chinese sausage and mushroom that is steamed, sliced, and pan-fried.

| Taro cake

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|pudding made of taro.

| Water chestnut cake

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|pudding made of crispy water chestnut; some restaurants also serve a variation made with bamboo juice.

|Nian gao

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|年糕

|glutinous rice flour cake, sweetened, usually with brown sugar.

|Red Date Cake

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|紅棗糕

|Dessert made with dried jujubes and tapioca flour.

| Thousand-layer cake

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|a dessert made of many layers of salted egg dough.

| Malay sponge cake

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|sponge cake consisting of lard or butter, flour, and eggs.

| White sugar sponge cake

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|steamed sponge cake made with white sugar.

Meats

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! Name !! Image !! Chinese !! Description

| Steamed meatball

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|steamed meatballs served on thin tofu skin. Generally served with Worcestershire sauce.

| Pearl meatballs

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|steamed meatballs coated with glutinous rice. Traditionally from Hubei and Hunan.

| Lion's Head

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|pork meatballs or beef meatballs stewed with vegetables.

| Phoenix claws

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|deep fried, boiled, and then steamed chicken feet with douchi. "White Cloud Phoenix Claws" () is a plain steamed version.

| Spare ribs

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|steamed pork spare ribs with douchi and sometimes garlic and chili.

| Beef tendon

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|Beef tendons are cooked for a long time until it is very tender. In Hong Kong, it is usually served together with beef brisket and/or radish.

| Reticulum beef tripe

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| Omasum beef tripe

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| Shrimp toast

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|Bread coated with a paste made from minced shrimp and cooked by baking or deep frying.

Seafood

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! Name !! Image !! Chinese !! Description

|Deep fried squid

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|similar to fried calamari, the battered squid is deep-fried.

|Curry squid

| squid served in curry broth.

Vegetables

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! Name !! Image !! Chinese !! Description

|Steamed gai lan

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|Steamed vegetables served with oyster sauce, popular varieties include lettuce (), choy sum (), gai lan (), or water spinach ().

|Fried tofu

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|deep fried tofu with salt and pepper.

Rice

{| class="wikitable collapsible"

! Name !! Image !! Chinese !! Description

| Lotus leaf rice

|150px

|glutinous rice wrapped in a lotus leaf that typically contains egg yolk, dried scallop, mushroom, and meat (usually pork and chicken). A lighter variant is known as "pearl chicken" ().

| Chinese sticky rice

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| stir-fried (or steamed) glutinous rice with Chinese sausage, soy sauce-steeped mushrooms, sweet spring onions, and sometimes chicken marinated with a mixture of spices including five-spice powder.

| Congee

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|many kinds of rice porridge, such as the "Preserved Egg and Pork Porridge" ().

Desserts

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! Name !! Image !! Chinese !! Description

| Egg tart

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|baked tart with egg custard filling.

| Douhua

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| soft tofu served with a sweet ginger or jasmine syrup.

| Sesame ball

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|deep fried chewy dough with various fillings (lotus seed, black bean, red bean pastes) coated in sesame seeds.

| Coconut pudding

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|light and spongy but creamy coconut milk pudding made with a thin, clear jelly layer made with coconut water on top.

| Mango pudding

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| a sweet, rich mango pudding often served with a topping of evaporated milk and large chunks of fresh mango.

| Mango pomelo sago

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| A Hong Kong dessert made with diced mango, pomelo, sago, coconut milk, and milk.

| Black sesame roll

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|Refrigerated thin layer of black sesame paste

| Chinese flaky pastry

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| Also called Char Siu So. They are triangular, flaky pastries filled with a savory and slightly sweet barbecued pork filling, topped with sesame seeds for added flavor.

| Ox-tongue pastry

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|a fried oval-shaped dough resembling an ox tongue that is similar to youjagwai, but sugar is added to the flour.

| Tong sui

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|sweet dessert soups; popular varieties include black sesame soup (), red bean soup (), mung bean soup (), sai mai lo (), guilinggao (), peanut paste soup (), and walnut soup ().

| Sweet potato soup

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|sweet dessert soups containing sweet potato, rock sugar, and ginger.

| Black sesame soup

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|sweet dessert soups containing Black sesame seed flour;

Tea

thumb|alt= Chrysanthemum blossoms steep in a cup of hot water|Chrysanthemum tea

thumb|right|alt=A ceramic spoon in a bowl, pair of chopsticks, plate, and cup of tea|A typical dining set for "[[yum cha"]]

Tea is considered to be very important, so much so that it is considered just as important as the food itself. Teas served during dim sum include:

Chrysanthemum tea: instead of tea leaves, it is a flower-based tisane (herbal tea) made from flowers of the species Chrysanthemum morifolium or Chrysanthemum indicum, which are the most popular in East Asia. To prepare the tea, chrysanthemum flowers (usually dried) are steeped in hot water (usually after cooling from a boil) in a teapot, cup, or glass. A common mix with pu-erh is called guk pou () from its component teas.
Green tea: freshly picked leaves that go through heating and drying processes but not oxidation, so keep their original green color and chemical compounds, like polyphenols and chlorophyll. Produced all over China, and the most popular category of tea, green teas include the representative Dragon Well () and Biluochun from Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces, respectively.
Oolong tea: partially oxidizing the tea leaves imparts them with characteristics of both green and black teas. Oolong teas are closer in taste to green than black tea, yet have less of a "grassy" taste. Major oolong-tea producing areas such as Fujian, Guangdong, and Taiwan line the southeastern coast of China. Tieguanyin or Ti Kuan Yin (): one of the most popular, originated in Fujian province, and is a premium variety with a delightful fragrance.
Pounei (Cantonese) or pu-erh tea (Mandarin): usually a compressed tea, pu-erh has unique, earthy notes derived from years of fermentation.
Scented teas: various mixes of flowers with green, black, or oolong teas exist. Flowers used include jasmine, gardenia, magnolia, grapefruit flower, sweet-scented osmanthus, and rose. Strict rules govern the proportion of flowers to tea. Jasmine tea, the most popular scented tea, is the one most often served at "yum cha" establishments.

The tea service includes several customs. Typically, the server starts by asking diners which tea to serve. According to etiquette, the person closest to the teapot pours tea for the others. Sometimes, a younger person will serve an older person.

Those receiving tea express thanks by tapping their index and middle fingers twice on the table. At that time, travelers would frequent teahouses for small-portion meals with tea called "yum cha" or "tea" meals. Yum cha includes two related concepts. The first, , translates literally as "one cup, two pieces". This refers to the custom of serving teahouse customers two delicately made food items, savory or sweet, to complement their tea. The second, , which means dim sum, translates literally to "touch the heart" (i.e., heart touching). This is the term used to designate the small food items that accompanied the drinking of tea.

During the thirteenth century, when the Mongols invaded China, the royal court fled to southern China, bringing a royal influence to the dim sum of Guangzhou. Teahouse dining areas were typically located upstairs, and initial dim sum fare included steamed buns.

Although dim sum is normally considered Cantonese, it includes many additional influences.</blockquote>As the Chinese Civil War progressed from 1927 to 1949, many dim sum chefs left China and settled in Hong Kong, resulting in further refinements and innovations of the dim sum there. Some of the earliest dim sum restaurants in the U.S. still operating today opened in the 1920s in San Francisco and New York City. The history of San Francisco's Chinese community is believed to have started about 30 years before the first dim sum restaurant opened in the city's Chinatown neighborhood. The Chinese preferred to live in the present Chinatown area because of its restaurants and theatres. Although dim sum is a Chinese meal, it is a communal dining and social experience that can span hours.

The dim sum restaurants in Chicago's Chinatown serve mainly traditional dim sum dishes, but there has been recent growth in contemporary dim sum with new fusion dishes, as well as restaurants now located outside Chinatown.

In Hong Kong, many chefs are also introducing variants based on traditional Cantonese cuisine, which generates interest and provides both Hongkongers and tourists with new, fresh dim sum dishes.

Modern dim sum

In addition to traditional dim sum, some chefs also create and prepare new fusion-based dim sum dishes. Modern versions of buns include pork belly steamed buns with cucumber, green onion, cilantro, and ginger hoisin sauce, cocoa mushroom buns, and chili lamb buns. Dumplings include snow pea shoot and shrimp dumplings, and chili crab with fried garlic, siu mai with pork, shrimp, scallop, and caviar, dumplings stuffed with shrimp and peanut, dumplings with South Australian scallop, garoupa (grouper), caviar, gold leaf, and egg white, and bone marrow or beef short ribs in potstickers. Pastry puff dishes include Australian Wagyu beef puff, Assam curry chicken puff, and pumpkin puffs. Toast dishes include Hong Kong–style French toast with condensed milk and peanut butter and prawn toast. Additional examples are spring rolls filled with goat and duck skin and duck hearts cooked over a wood-fired grill and served with sesame-horseradish sauce.

One AAA four-diamond-award-winning Chinese restaurant in Miami Beach has a prix-fixe dim sum menu, prix-fixe "yum cha" menu and breakfast cocktails. Variations designed for visual appeal on social media, such as dumplings and buns made to resemble animals and fictional characters, also exist. Dim sum chefs have previously used cocoa powder as coloring to create steamed bread puffs to appear like forest mushrooms, espresso powder as both flavoring and coloring for deep-fried riblets, as well as pastry cream, and French puffs to create innovative dishes while paying tribute to the history of dim sum.

Modern service styles

Traditionally, dim sum was served from rolling carts pushed through dining rooms, allowing customers to select dishes visually as servers circulated among tables. This style remains common in many Cantonese restaurants, particularly during daytime service hours associated with yum cha. However, many modern establishments have shifted toward menu-based ordering systems, in which dishes are prepared to order rather than selected from carts. This change has been attributed to factors including labor costs, efficiency, and a desire to ensure consistent food quality and temperature.

In contemporary urban centers such as Hong Kong and major international cities, dim sum service has also evolved to include upscale dining formats, extended evening hours, and fusion interpretations that incorporate nontraditional ingredients or presentation styles. Despite these changes, the communal nature of sharing multiple small dishes alongside tea remains a defining characteristic of the cuisine.

Fast food

Dim sum can often be purchased from grocery stores in major cities. Major grocery stores in Hong Kong, Vietnam, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Australia, the United States and Canada stock a variety of frozen or fresh dim sum. These include dumplings, shumai, pork buns, and others. Halal-certified dim sum that uses chicken instead of pork is very popular in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

HK SYP 西環 Sai Ying Pun 正街 Centre Street Dim Sum food shop March 2020 SS2 05.jpg|Streetside dim sum food shop in Hong Kong

Frozen dimsum.JPG|Frozen dim sum are widely available at convenience stores

Frozen Dim Sum in Grocery Store.jpg|Frozen dim sum in a grocery store in the United States

File:Vancouver - Dim Sum Express.jpg|Express Dim Sum food truck, Canada Place, Vancouver, British Columbia.

</gallery>

Restaurants

thumb|A light blue bill card (upper left) on a table of traditional family-style dim sum lunch dishes in a restaurant|alt=|left

Some Cantonese restaurants serve dim sum as early as five in the morning, while more traditional restaurants typically serve dim sum from mid-morning until mid-afternoon.

Dim sum is served using a unique serving method whereby servers offer dishes to customers from carts, including some carts that are steam-heated. Diners often prefer tables nearest the kitchen since servers and carts pass by these tables first.

The pricing of dishes at these types of restaurants may vary, but traditionally they are classified as "small", "medium", "large", "extra-large", or "special". Servers record orders with a rubber stamp or an ink pen on a bill card that remains on the table. When they have finished eating, the customer calls the server over, and their bill is calculated based on the number of stamps or quantities marked in each priced section.

Another way of pricing the food that was consumed uses the number and color of the dishes left on the table.

Other Cantonese restaurants may take orders from a pre-printed sheet of paper and serve à la carte, much like Spanish tapas restaurants, to provide fresh, cooked-to-order dim sum or because of real estate and resource constraints.

thumb|Dim sum food shop in Hong Kong

References

Sources

Phillips, Carolyn (2006) The Dim Sum Field Guide: A Taxonomy of Dumplings, Buns, Meats, Sweets, and Other Specialties of the Chinese Teahouse. New York: Crown Publishing Group

Etymology

Cuisine

Dumplings

Rolls

Buns

Cakes

Meats

Seafood

Vegetables

Rice

Desserts

Tea

Modern dim sum

Modern service styles

Fast food

Restaurants

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

External links