Usually has a waxed-paper square on the bottom. Member of the larger-sized bao family that originated in North China, typified by thick, bready wrappers and hefty fillings.
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(May contain pork and/or shrimp instead of sausage, and items such as black mushrooms and green onions, along with seasonings and binding ingredients.) Usually has a waxed-paper square on the bottom. Exterior tacky interior juicy.Ĭantonese dim sum bread dough, twisted at the top, filled with chicken and Cantonese sausage. Sometimes steamed dumplings are formed into fanciful shapes, like goldfish and heads of garlic. Chinese dumplings (both boiled jiao zi and steamed zheng jiao) probably originated in Muslim areas along the northern Silk Road, where wheat pasta was the main staple, but are now common from Beijing in the north to Guangdong in the south. Vegetarian dumplings are typically a combination of vegetables, cellophane noodles and scrambled eggs. Fillings vary, but are usually pork or shrimp with vegetables and aromatics such as ginger, Chinese chives, green onions, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, carrots, black mushrooms, and wood ear fungus. The body of these two-inch dumplings have a plump gumdrop shape their thin skins are closed with simple folds or multiple pleats across the top, The wrappers are made from a light and supple “hot dough,” a combination of boiling water and Chinese noodle flour, and may be colored with vegetable juices like carrot or spinach. All items originate from Guangdong Province, unless otherwise noted. The text also provides aids to recognition through other means of depiction, including size, range, and color. Below each photo are symbols that offer additional guides to correctly recognizing, categorizing, and appreciating the various varieties of dim sum in this field guide a key is provided below.
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These general divisions have then been subdivided according to each dim sum’s predominant physical characteristics.Ī common English name for the dim sum is given at the top, along with its pronunciation in both Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese the characters for these are provided next to the English name, along with alternative standard Chinese names if such exist.Įach entry has its own photo and identifying characteristics are bolded in the text. The first half of the Field Guide introduces steamed items the second covers fried, baked, and sweet offerings. This arrangement will provide even first-time visitors to dim sum restaurants with access to field identification in a clear and rational array. Newcomers should find the illustrations-which have been grouped by their method of preparation and general type-helpful in identifying some of the more typical offerings. Regular patrons of North American dim sum restaurants will find most, if not all, of the selections pictured here familiar.