Dim sum (in Cantonese; dianxin in Mandarin) literally means ‘to touch your heart’. These small morsels or snacks are associated with the Cantonese custom of yum cha (yincha: drinking tea) at tea, breakfast and lunch times. They are similar to hors d’oeuvres, the hot and cold delicacies served at French restaurants. Dim sum are colourful, fragrant, tasty and shapely, and they meet the needs of every eater in every season. The ingredients are of high quality and plentiful, the style is novel and there are many varieties such as egg custard tarts, mini spring rolls, cakes, steamed buns, green peppers with shrimp filling, meat balls, fried or steamed dumplings filled with everything from roast pork to Chinese leeks, and other delicacies. The wrapping of rice flour dumplings is so thin that the ingredients can almost be seen. Another favourite wrapping is the lotus leaf, filled with steamed glutinous rice and a filling.
There is usually no ordering. Instead you choose from a wide assortment of snacks that the waiters or waitresses bring out on carts and trays. You may prefer not to take chicken’s feet and duck’s webbed feet in black bean sauce, but they are delicacies for the Chinese. It may take you several visits to different restaurants before you can taste all the varieties and determine your favourites. In big hotels in Hong Kong and the West, you may find Western variations.
Dim sum is often used for get-togethers. A film entitled Dim Sum (Wayne Wang, 1984) depicts three generations of a Chinese-American family living in San Francisco.
Further reading
Liley, Vicki (1999). Dim Sum. Hong Kong: Periplus.
HELEN XIAOYAN WU
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