Global InformationDim sum information
| Dim sum | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 點心 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 点心 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jyutping | dim2 sam1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cantonese Yale | dím sām | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "Touch the heart" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Japanese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kanji | 点心 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hiragana | てんしん | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Katakana | テンシン | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dim sum (traditional Chinese: 點心; simplified Chinese: 点心; pinyin: diǎn xīn; Jyutping: dim2 sam1) is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch.[1][2] Most modern dim sum dishes are commonly associated with Cantonese cuisine, although dim sum dishes also exist in other Chinese cuisines. In the tenth century, when the city of Canton (Guangzhou) began to experience an increase in commercial travel,[3] many frequented teahouses for small-portion meals with tea called "yum cha" (brunch).[4][3][5] "Yum cha" includes two related concepts.[6] The first is "jat zung loeng gin" (Chinese: 一盅兩件), which 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 is dim sum, which translates literally to "touch the heart", the term used to designate the small food items that accompanied the tea.
Teahouse owners gradually added various snacks called dim sum to their offerings. The practice of having tea with dim sum eventually evolved into the modern "yum cha".[3] Cantonese dim sum culture developed rapidly during the latter half of the nineteenth century in Guangzhou.[7] Cantonese dim sum was originally based on local foods.[7] As dim sum continued to develop, chefs introduced influences and traditions from other regions of China.[7] Cantonese dim sum has a very broad range of flavors, textures, cooking styles, and ingredients[7] and can be classified into regular items, seasonal offerings, weekly specials, banquet dishes, holiday dishes, house signature dishes, and travel-friendly items, as well as breakfast or lunch foods and late-night snacks.[7]
There are over one thousand dim sum dishes originating from Guangdong alone, a total that no other areas in China comes even close to matching. In fact, the cookbooks of most Chinese food cultures tend to lump 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.[8][7] Some estimates claim that there are at least two thousand types of dim sum in total across China, and about forty to fifty types are commonly sold outside of China.[9][10]
Dim sum restaurants typically have a wide variety of dishes, usually totaling several dozen.[11][12] The tea is very important, just as important as the food.[13][14] Many Cantonese restaurants serve dim sum as early as five in the morning,[15][16] while more traditional restaurants typically serve dim sum until mid-afternoon.[15][17][18] Dim sum restaurants have a unique serving method where servers offer dishes to customers from steam-heated carts.[8][19][20] It is now commonplace for restaurants to serve dim sum at dinner and sell various dim sum items à la carte for takeout.[21] In addition to traditional dim sum, some chefs also create and prepare new fusion-based dim sum dishes.[22][23][24][25] There are also variations designed for visual appeal on social media, such as dumplings and buns made to resemble animals.[26][27]
- ^ Davidson, Alan (2014). The Oxford companion to food. Jaine, Tom; Vannithone, Soun (3rd ed.). New York, NY. ISBN 978-0-19-967733-7. OCLC 890807357.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:10was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:11was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:13was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:14was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference
:4was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "What Is Dim Sum? Chinese Dim Sum, Most Popular Dim Sum Dishes". China Educational Tours. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ "Why dumplings - the ultimate comfort food - are so popular right now". inews.co.uk. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:16was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "A Visual Glossary for Dim Sum!". Dim Sum Guide. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYT 1981was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:17was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Jacobs, Harrison. "Here's how to navigate one of the most epic New York food traditions — 'Dim Sum' in Chinatown". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:18was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Time guidewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYTwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Phillips 2016was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:20was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:19was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:21was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:22was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:23was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:24was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:25was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Andrea Brown (1 March 2018). "Piggy buns at Fashion Dim Sum will put a smile on your face". HeraldNet.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2020.