Dim sum is a Chinese light meal or brunch, usually eaten some time from morning to early afternoon with family or friends. Dim sum consists of a wide spectrum of choices and are usually served in a small steamer basket or on a small plate.

Dim Sum is a Cantonese phrase (點心), literally “touch the heart” (order to your heart’s content) but meaning “morsel/snack”. It may be derived from yat dim sum yi (一點心意), meaning “a little token”. Though the English word “dim sum” refers to the Cantonese variety, the idea of a wide variety of small dishes for lunch also holds for other regions of China.

Traditional dim sum includes various types of steamed buns such as char siew bao, dumplings and rice rolls (cheong fun), which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options. Many dim sum restaurants also offer plates of steamed green vegetables, roasted meats, congee porridge and other soups. Dessert dim sum is also available and many places offer the customary egg custard tart – “dan tat.” Having a meal in a Chinese teahouse or a dim sum restaurant is known as yum cha (飲茶), literally “drinking tea”, as tea is typically served with dim sum. (wikipedia)

Shanghai, China.

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