Yum cha

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Yum cha
Yumcha Dining.jpg
Yum cha at Hong Kong City Hall

Yum cha in the Cantonese language, both literary and vernacular, literally means "drink tea". [4] "飲" means "to drink", and "茶" means "tea". The term is also used interchangeably with tan cha (嘆茶) in the Cantonese language, which colloquially translates to "enjoy tea". [10]

In Cantonese, yum cha refers to having a meal with dim sum dishes. Dim sum is the English word based on the Cantonese pronunciation of 點心.

In colloquial Mandarin dialects and Standard Vernacular Chinese based on one form of colloquial Mandarin, this character (喝) is often used to mean 飲 for the verb "drink". In the Chinese language, 點心 refers to a variety of foods, including European-style cakes and pastries, and has no equivalent in English.

In the English language, dim sum refers to small-dish appetizers and desserts.

Dim sum dishes from top left in the clockwise direction: shrimp dumplings (Xia Jiao ), congee (Zhou ), jasmine tea (Hua Cha ), steamed dumplings (Zheng Shui Jiao ), barbecued pork-filled buns (Cha Shao Bao ), and rice noodle rolls with soy sauce (Chang Fen ). Dimsum breakfast in Hong Kong.jpg
Dim sum dishes from top left in the clockwise direction: shrimp dumplings (蝦餃), congee (粥), jasmine tea (花茶), steamed dumplings (蒸水饺), barbecued pork-filled buns (叉燒包), and rice noodle rolls with soy sauce (腸粉).

Service

An introductory video on yum cha and dim sum

Traditionally, yum cha is practiced in the morning or early afternoon, [11] hence the terms zou cha (早茶, "morning tea") or ha ngcha (下午茶, "afternoon tea") when appropriate. The former is also known as yum zou cha (飲早茶, "drinking morning tea"). In some parts of Guangdong province, restaurants offer dim sum during dinner hours and even late at night. This is known as yum je cha (飲夜茶, "drinking night tea"), though most venues still generally reserve the serving of dim sum for breakfast and lunch periods. [12] The combination of morning tea, afternoon tea, evening tea, lunch and dinner is known as sam cha leung fan (三茶兩飯, "three tea, two meal"). [13] [14]

The history of the tradition can be traced back to the period of Xianfeng Emperor, who first referred to establishments serving tea as yi li guan (一釐館, "1 cent house"). These offered a place for people to gossip, which became known as cha waa (茶話, "tea talk"). These tea houses grew to become their own type of restaurant and the visits became known as yum cha. [15] [16]

A server pushing a dim sum cart at a yum cha restaurant in Hong Kong Dim-sum-HK.JPG
A server pushing a dim sum cart at a yum cha restaurant in Hong Kong

The traditional methods of serving dim sum include using trays strung around servers' necks or using push carts. [5] The teoi ce (推車, "push-cart") method of serving dim sum, dates back to the early 1960s and includes dim sum items cooked in advance, placed into steamer baskets, and brought out on push carts into the dining area. [17] [18] Employees call out the items they are serving, customers notify the server about the items they would like to order, and the server places the desired items on the table. [4] The general yum cha atmosphere is a loud, festive one due to the servers calling out the dishes and the groups of diners having conversations. [19]

Many dim sum restaurants now use a paper-based à la carte ordering system. [20] [21] This method provides fresh, cooked-to-order dim sum while managing the real estate and resource constraints involved with push cart service. [22] [23]

Tea cup, tea pot, and bill card HK Shang Huan Sheung Wan Le Gu Dao Lok Ku Road Zhong Yuan Zhong Xin Midland Centre Jia Hao Jiu Jia Ka Ho Restaurant tableware food menu June 2019 SSG.jpg
Tea cup, tea pot, and bill card

The cost of a meal was traditionally calculated by the number, size and type of dishes left on the patron's table at the end. In modern yum cha restaurants, servers mark orders by stamping a card or marking a bill card on the table. [24] [25] [26] Servers in some restaurants use distinctive stamps to track sales statistics for each server.[ citation needed ]

Customs and etiquette

A tea-drinker tapping the table with her fingers to show gratitude to the member of the party who has filled her cup Yumcha finger tapping.jpg
A tea-drinker tapping the table with her fingers to show gratitude to the member of the party who has filled her cup

The customs associated with the tea served at yum cha include:

For the diners, some typical customs include:

Lazy susan at yum cha lunch in Hong Kong with dim sum and lunch dishes HK TKL Diao Jing Ling Tiu Keng Leng Du Hui Yi MetroTown Shopping mall shop Hao Yan Hai Xian Ji Tuan Jiu Jia Ho Yin Seafood Group Restaurant Lunch Dian Xin Xiao Shi dim sum Yin Cha tea food April 2019 SSG 06.jpg
Lazy susan at yum cha lunch in Hong Kong with dim sum and lunch dishes

While eating, some of the manners include:

A video showing yum cha at Lin Heung Teahouse

Status and future

Yum cha continues in both traditional and modern forms, including restaurants serving both traditional and modern fusion dim sum. [42] Modern dim sum can include dishes like abalone siu mai and barbecued wagyu beef bun. [43] Dim sum chefs for yum cha continue to be trained at leading culinary institutes. [42] One restaurant in Hong Kong creates social media-friendly dishes by preparing dumplings and buns shaped to resemble animals. [44] Whether traditional or modern-day, yum cha is to be shared with friends and loved ones. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cantonese cuisine</span> Chinese regional cuisine from Guangdong

Cantonese or Guangdong cuisine, also known as Yue cuisine, is the cuisine of Cantonese people, associated with the Guangdong province of China, particularly the provincial capital Guangzhou, and the surrounding regions in the Pearl River Delta including Hong Kong and Macau. Strictly speaking, Cantonese cuisine is the cuisine of Guangzhou or of Cantonese speakers, but it often includes the cooking styles of all the speakers of Yue Chinese languages in Guangdong.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to meals:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dim sum</span> Chinese cuisine

Dim sum is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch. 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, many frequented teahouses for small-portion meals with tea called "yum cha" (brunch). "Yum cha" includes two related concepts. The first is "jat zung loeng gin", 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bamboo steamer</span> Vessel used for steaming in East Asian cuisine

Bamboo steamers, called zhēnglóng in Chinese, are a type of food steamer made of bamboo. They are used commonly in Chinese cuisine, especially dim sum, and usually come in two or more layers. Bamboo steamers have also spread to other East Asian and Southeast Asian countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cha chaan teng</span> Type of Cantonese restaurant

Cha chaan teng, often called a Hong Kong-style cafe or diner in English, is a type of restaurant that originated in Hong Kong. Cha chaan tengs are commonly found in Hong Kong, Macau, and parts of Guangdong. Due to the waves of mass migrations from Hong Kong in the 1980s, they are now established in major Chinese communities in Western countries such as Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Likened to a greasy spoon cafe or an American diner, cha chaan tengs are known for eclectic and affordable menus, which include dishes from Hong Kong cuisine and Hong Kong-style Western cuisine. They draw comparisons to Western cafés due to their casual settings, as well as menus revolving around coffee and tea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hong Kong cuisine</span> Cuisine originating from Hong Kong

Hong Kong cuisine is mainly influenced by Cantonese cuisine, European cuisines and non-Cantonese Chinese cuisines, as well as Japanese, Korean and Southeast Asian cuisines, due to Hong Kong's past as a British colony and a long history of being an international port of commerce. Complex combinations and international gourmet expertise have given Hong Kong the labels of "Gourmet Paradise" and "World's Fair of Food".

Cantonese culture, or Lingnan culture, refers to the regional Chinese culture of the region of Lingnan: twin provinces of Guangdong and Guangxi, the names of which mean "eastern expanse" and "western expanse", respectively.

One bowl with two pieces is a term that has long been in the vernacular of Hong Kong tea culture, meaning a bowl of tea with two "delicacies to complement the tea", i.e. dim sum. In Cantonese restaurants of the past, tea was not offered in a present-day teapot but in a bowl. Dim sum was not bite-sized. Instead, quite a number of them were simply big buns, such that two of them easily filled up one's stomach. The legendary Chicken Ball Dai Bao serves as an excellent example. This saying, however, is now rendered anachronistic under the heavy influence of the "bite-sized trend". The "two pieces" now is normally referring to Har gow (蝦餃) and Shumai (燒賣).

<i>Xiaolongbao</i> Type of Chinese steamed bun

Xiaolongbao is a type of Chinese tangbao, traditionally prepared in a xiaolong, a small bamboo steaming basket. The xiaolongbao originates from the city of Changzhou in Jiangsu province, and is an iconic dish of Jiangnan cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cantonese restaurant</span> Type of Chinese restaurant

A Cantonese restaurant is a type of Chinese restaurant that originated in Southern China. This style of restaurant has rapidly become common in Hong Kong.

<i>Cha siu bao</i> Cantonese barbecue-pork-filled bun

Cha siu bao is a Cantonese baozi (bun) filled with barbecue-flavored cha siu pork. They are served as a type of dim sum during yum cha and are sometimes sold in Chinese bakeries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teahouse</span> Cafe-type business serving tea

A teahouse or tearoom is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel, especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment that only serves cream teas. Although the function of a tearoom may vary according to the circumstance or country, teahouses often serve as centers of social interaction, like coffeehouses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shumai</span> Type of traditional Chinese dumpling

Shumai is a type of traditional Chinese dumpling made of ground pork. In Cantonese cuisine, it is usually served as a dim sum snack. In addition to accompanying the Chinese diaspora, variations of shumai are found in Japan and Southeast Asia, such as the Indonesian siomay. In Australia, it developed into dim sim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bing sutt</span> Type of traditional cold drinking house

Bing sutt is a type of traditional cold drinking house started in Guangzhou (Canton) that spread to Hong Kong. These bing sutts arose in the 1950s and 1960s. They are characterized by old furniture and settings such as the small tiled floors, hanging fans, folding chairs and so on. A bing sutt provides light meals and drinks and is neighbourhood-oriented. It is believed to be the predecessor of the cha chaan teng.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinese regional cuisine</span> Regional cuisines of China

Chinese regional cuisines are amongst the many different cuisines found in different provinces and prefectures of China as well as from larger overseas Chinese communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Har gow</span> Cantonese food

Har gow, also anglicized as ha gow, hau kau, or ha kao, is a traditional Cantonese dumpling served as dim sum. It is made of shrimp meat, and steamed in a flour wrapper. After cooking, the wrapper becomes somewhat translucent, and therefore ha gow is sometimes called crystal shrimp dumplings (水晶蝦餃).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Chinese cuisine</span>

Australian Chinese cuisine is a style of cooking developed by Australians of Chinese descent, who adapted dishes to satisfy local Anglo-Celtic tastes. Its roots can be traced to indentured Chinese who were brought to work as cooks in country pubs and sheep stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nom Wah Tea Parlor</span> Restaurant in New York, NY

Nom Wah Tea Parlor, opened in 1920, is the oldest continuously running restaurant in the Chinatown of Manhattan in New York City. The restaurant serves Hong Kong style dim-sum and is currently located at 13 Doyers Street in Manhattan.

Dim sum is a type of cuisine, a range of small dishes in small pieces served typically for breakfast, brunch, lunch, in Cantonese cuisine.

References

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