Opened bamboo steamers hold shrimp dumplings, siu mai and barbecued pork buns, one bun broken open to show its filling, and a purple-clay teapot and three cups of tea sit on a blue cloth beside them.
Tea-house dim sum
Introduction
The small dishes served with tea in a tea house.
Dim sum covers the small dishes served with tea in Cantonese tea houses. The two-li tea house of Guangzhou was the forerunner of the morning tea house, where a guest had a cup of tea and two pieces. Morning tea is the habit of eating dim sum while drinking tea, and it is especially strong in Guangzhou. The word dianxin already appears in the Song book Meng Liang Lu of Lin'an, which records market snacks available in every season. Street snacks belong to Street Snacks, and buns and dumplings without a tea-house setting belong to Steamed Buns and Dumplings.