飲茶 Yum Cha & 點心 Dim Sum

飲茶 Yum Cha literally means to drink tea, i love nothing more than meeting up with friends for the quintessentially British tradition of Afternoon Tea whereas in Chinese culture drinking tea is inextricably linked to going for Dim Sum 點心. A style of Cantonese cuisine in origin which consists of an assortment of sweet and savoury delicate bite size food served in bamboo steamers or small plates.

A 3rd Century Imperial Physician believed drinking tea and eating at the same time would lead to excessive weight gain, thus entrepreneurial tea house proprietors created delicate bite sized portions of food to serve with tea to “touch the heart” not sate the appetite.

The custom of eating Dim Sum became very popular amongst patrons of tea houses along the silk road, and over the years dishes from many parts of China have been incorporated into the menu. Nowadays, Dim Sum is eaten all over the world but the best Dim Sum chefs and restaurants are to be found in Hong Kong.

I have called my blog the Dim Sum Diaries to celebrate my Hong Kong Chinese heritage plus being British born and our nation’s love of drinking tea.  My blog is an assortment of thoughts both sweet and savoury, together with contributions from friends. A little like Dim Sum…to touch the heart.