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What is Cantonese Yum Cha?
A Cantonese tea-house meal pairing tea with shared dim sum such as shrimp dumplings, siu mai and steamed buns.
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Flavor profile
Delicate · Varied · Fresh
A Cantonese tea-house meal pairing tea with shared dim sum such as shrimp dumplings, siu mai and steamed buns.
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Key ingredients
Tea and a changing selection of steamed, baked and fried dishes made with ingredients such as shrimp, pork, rice flour, wheat starch and vegetables.
This is a food guide, not a recipe. Ingredients and preparation vary between cooks, shops and cities.
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How it is usually made
Specialist cooks prepare many separate dim sum dishes, which are served in bamboo steamers or on small plates alongside pots of tea.
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Origin and food culture
Yum cha means “drink tea” and describes the Cantonese tea-house custom; dim sum refers to the many small dishes eaten with the tea. The two terms overlap in everyday use but are not exact synonyms.
It is a shared meal whose menu may include steamed dumplings, buns, rice rolls, braised dishes, fried snacks and pastries. No single plate represents the whole tradition.