Yum cha
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Yum cha
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| Traditional Chinese: | 飲茶 | ||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese: | 饮茶 | ||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning: | drinking tea | ||||||||||||||||
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Yum cha (飲茶) is a term in Cantonese which means "drinking tea". It now refers to the dining experience of eating small servings of different foods, e.g., dim sum, while sipping Chinese tea in Cantonese speaking areas of southern China. It is an integral part of the culinary culture of Guangdong Province, Hong Kong and Macau. In any city with a sizeable population of Cantonese people, yum cha is a tradition on weekend mornings, and whole families gather to chat and eat dim sum and drink Chinese tea. Yum cha is also a morning ritual for the elderly to spend a good part of the morning after early morning exercise of tai chi or a walk. The tea is important, for it is said to help digest the rich foods. In the past, people went to a teahouse to yum cha, but now people yum cha mostly at a Dim sum restaurant.
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[edit] Teahouse
The ritualised drinking of tea is often practiced in China. The most important work on tea making is the Cha Jing. It is the only extant work of the Tang Dynasty scholar and poet Lu Yu and was written during the 700s. He describes many aspects of tea making from the location of the teahouse to the mode of drinking. His treatise is considered definitive by many.
In Northern Imperial China teahouses were regarded as retreats for gentlemen and later for businessmen. Deals would be discussed and sealed in the neutral, relaxed surroundings of a teahouse rather than in offices.
Teahouses were and are places where disputes could be settled harmoniously over tea. Courts of law are not spots where most people feel at ease. The Chinese at times replaced this setting with a teahouse and the presence of a mutually respected arbiter. The disputing parties would agree on terms and apologies, pay for the tea, shake hands and part in peace. In the same way that insurance agencies and stock brokerages in England developed out of simple coffee shops, teahouses in China were (and still are) used as places to conduct business.
Some teahouses in Hong Kong still uphold such a tradition and are frequented by Hong Kong Chinese industrialists and entrepreneurs. Traditional teahouses can still be found in the older communities. One example is the Luk Yu Teahouse in Central.
[edit] Eating utensils
[edit] Teabowl
Methods of tea-tasting have undergone considerable changes since the Tang Dynasty and the use of covered teabowls is one development of note. The simple yet practical design of covered teabowls makes them an excellent utensil for tea-tasting. The fine painting on these bowls also enhances their aesthetic value. Nowadays a small teacup is used instead in most dim sum restaurants more often than not.
[edit] Chopsticks
Chopsticks, a pair of small even-length tapered sticks, are the traditional eating utensils used to yum cha. Chopsticks are commonly made of plastic in the Chinese restaurants. Held between the thumb and fingers of the working hand they are used as tongs to pick up portions of food or to sweep rice and small particles of food into the mouth from the bowl. Dim sum dishes are served in small portions and therefore convenient for eating with chopsticks. Many rules of etiquette govern the proper conduct of the chopsticks.
[edit] Toothpicks
The use of toothpicks at a table is another typical practice. Toothpicks are frequently used between courses, as it is believed that the aftertaste of one course should not be allowed to ruin one's enjoyment of the next course.
Toothpicks have another major value in that they are ideal and socially acceptable to use picking up those meal items which often defy the best chopstick approach, such as slippery button mushrooms and jellyfish slices served with sesame oil.
[edit] Tea
The following are some of the kinds of tea that may be available in teahouses or dim sum restaurants:
- Bo Lei (Pu-erh in Mandarin) - a dark reddish tea with a strong, full earthy taste, becomes darker as the leaves steep longer in the pot, thought to help aid in digestion and one of the most popular to accompany dim sum
- Guk Bo - a combination of Bo Lei and Guk Fa
- Guk Fa (chrysanthemum) - a light tea usually with rock sugar on the side, made from the dried flowers of the chrysanthemum plant
- Heung Peen (jasmine) - a very light green tea with a subtle flavor and scented with jasmine flowers
- Sau Mei (literally, longevity eyebrow) - a slightly bitter tasting white tea
- Sui Sin (literally, water fairy) - a tea believed to have cold healing properties
- Oolong - from Taiwan, a tea known for its rich flavor and pleasant after taste
- Teet Kwun Yum (literally, Iron Goddess of Mercy) - a health conscious tea said to help lower cholesterol, related to Oolong
- Lung Jiang (dragon well) - a very popular light green tea, named for the water in a special well that is used to soak the leaves prior to fermentation and gives the tea its distinctive flavor
[edit] Dim sum
Dim sum is a varied range of small dishes (a concept similar to tapas) eaten for breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea, as part of the yum cha dining experience. Dishes are usually steamed or fried and may be savoury or sweet. They include steamed buns such as char siu baau, assorted dumplings, siu mai, and rice noodle rolls, which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options. Typical desserts include egg tarts and sai mai lo (tapioca pudding). Many dim sum restaurants also offer plates of steamed green vegetables, roasted meats, congee porridge, and soups.
Dim sum can be cooked by steaming and frying, among other methods. The dim sum are usually small and normally served as three or four pieces in one dish. It is customary to order family style, sharing dishes among all members of the dining party. Because of the small portions people can try a wide variety of food.
In the past, there were more places (at least in Hong Kong) with dim sum wheeled around on trolleys, but nowadays one is more likely to order from a menu. Traditionally, the cost of the meal was calculated based on the number and size of dishes left on the patron's table at the end. In modern dim sum restaurants, dim sum servers mark orders by stamping a card on the table. Servers in some restaurants even use different stamps so that sales statistics for each server can be recorded.
In the US, the phrase "dim sum" is often mistakenly used in place of "yum cha". In fact, in Cantonese, dim sum (點心) refers to the wide range of small dishes, whereas yum cha, or "drinking tea", refers to the entire dining experience.
[edit] Customs and Etiquette
[edit] Rinsing dishes, cups and chopsticks
Before eating, usually even before making any order, Hong Kong people rinse all utensils with hot water or hot tea. They then dispose of the water in a bowl on the table. Some restaurants do not provide such a bowl and a waiter has to come to help.
[edit] Pouring tea
It is customary to pour tea for others before filling one's own tea cup. It is most gracious to be the first to pour tea.
[edit] Finger tapping after cup is filled
When tea drinkers tap the table with three (occasionally two) fingers of the same hand, it is an expression of gratitude to the member of the party who filled their cups. Also known as finger kowtow, this action of finger-tapping has historical significance.
The gesture recreates a tale of Imperial obedience and can be traced to the Qianlong Emperor, a Qing Dynasty emperor who used to travel incognito. While visiting South China, he once went into a teahouse with his companions. In order to maintain his anonymity, he took his turn at pouring tea. His stunned companions wanted to kowtow for the great honour. Instead of allowing them to disclose his identity, the emperor told them to tap three fingers on the table. One finger represented their bowed head and the other two represented their prostrate arms.
[edit] Refilling the teapot
When a teapot needs refilling, the customer should leave the lid open. This is the polite and customary way to ask for a refill. Other options include placing the lid at a diagonal and letting it hang loose by the wire or leaving the cover balanced on the handle.
One story that explains this custom involves a poor student who supposedly hid a bird in his teapot. When the waiter came to refill the pot and lifted the lid, the bird flew away. The student made a loud fuss because it was a very precious bird, and the restaurant therefore owed him compensation. After this, all restaurants would wait for customers to lift the lid of an empty teapot for refilling. This custom is not common in northern China, where patrons may have to ask waiters to refill the pots.
In Hong Kong, this also indicates quality of service. A sign of good service is when refills occur soon after the lid is lifted open, while below-par service is when no one refills the teapot for a long period of time.
[edit] Using Public chopsticks
Except when dining with close family members or dining alone, for sanitary reasons, you should use the "public chopsticks" (公筷) to transfer the food from the serving dish to your personal place setting; then use your personal chopstick to eat the food from your personal place setting.
[edit] Tipping
Although most Chinese restaurants charge a 10% service charge, Hong Kong people still tip when the service is excellent.
[edit] Classification and pricing
There are typically 4 types of classification within dim sum that are essentially universal standards.[citation needed] The US and HK prices are not based on actual currency exchange rates. In Hong Kong weekdays are generally cheaper. Huge lines and hours of wait time are common for weekend brunch hours.
| Chinese Category name | English Category name | Sample US Price Range | Sample HK Price (Weekday morning) |
Sample HK Price (Weekday brunch) |
Sample HK Price (Weekend brunch) |
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| 小 | Small | US$1–$2 | HK$ $5.80 | HK$7.80 | HK$8.80 |
| 中 | Medium | US$2.00–$3.50 | HK$7.80 | HK$9.80 | HK$10.80 |
| 大 | Large | US$3.50–$5.00 | HK$9.50 | HK$11.80 | HK$12.80 |
| 特 | Special | US$5.00–$10.00 | HK$11.50 | HK$13.80 | HK$14.80 |
There are dishes that are outside the abovementioned four categories. Most Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong charge the tea, around US$0.7 per person, whether one drinks or not. Asking for refilling tea leaves usually does not cause extra charge. An overall 10% service charge is charged. During the first few days of Chinese New Year, the service charge can go up to 30%.
[edit] References
- Everything You Want to Know about Chinese Cooking by Pearl Kong Chen, Tien Chi Chen, and Rose Tseng. Woodbury, New York: Barron's, 1983.
- How to Cook and Eat in Chinese by Buwei Yang Chao. New York: The John Day Company, 1945.
- Dim Sum: The Delicious Secrets of Home-Cooked Chinese Tea Lunch by Rhoda Yee. San Francisco: Taylor & Ng, 1977.
- Classic Deem Sum by Henry Chan, Yukiko, and Bob Haydock. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1985.
- Chinese Dessert, Dim Sum and Snack Cookbook edited by Wonona Chong. New York: Sterling, 1986.
- Tiny Delights: Companion to the TV series by Elizabeth Chong. Melbourne: Forte Communications, 2002.
[edit] See also
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