Dim sum is a Cantonese term for a type of Chinese meal that involves small individual portions of food, usually food is pushed around on carts by servers and served in a small steamer baskets or on small plates. The server stamps your card to mark your order. Going for dim sum is usually known in Cantonese as going to "drink tea" ( yum cha, 飲茶).
History
Dim sum is usually linked with the older tradition from yum cha (tea tasting), which has its roots in travellers _disibledevent="Silk Road">Silk Roadneeding a place to rest. Thus teahouses were established along the roadside. Rural farmers, exhausted after working hard in the fields, would go to teahouses for a relaxing afternoon of tea. At first, it was considered inappropriate to combine tea with food, because people believed it would lead to excessive weight gain. People later discovered that tea can aid in digestion, so teahouse owners began adding various snacks.[ citation needed]
The unique culinary art of dim sum originated with the Cantonese in southern China, who over the centuries transformed yum cha from a relaxing respite to a loud and happy dining experience. In Hong Kong, and in most cities and towns in Guangdong province, many restaurants start serving dim sum as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises. For many in southern China, yum cha is treated as a weekend family day. Consistent with this tradition, dim sum restaurants typically _disibledevent="Cantonese cuisine">Cantonese cuisine in the evening. Nowadays, various dim sum items are even sold as take-out for students and office workers on the go.
While dim sum (point of the heart) was originally not a main meal, _disibledevent="Saturated fat">saturated fat and sodium in some dim sum dishes, warning that steamed dim sum should not automatically be assumed to be healthy. [1] Health officials recommend balancing fatty dishes with boiled vegetables without sauce. [2]
