The article reviewed a new Chinese cooking pamphlet, with over 150 recipes, and stated, “ An interesting recipe is based on a noddle type mixture stuffed with a pork and vegetable mixture then steamed. The first mention of a recipe for Dim Sum I found was presented in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 16, 1948. One of these items served at this meal was “ Dim Sum, a yellow cup made of egg noodle filled with chopped pork and Chinese vegetables.” For example, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, October 20, 1946, discussed the Nom Wah Tea Parlor in New York City, noting that it was a “ tea parlor” serving a Chinese meal called “ tea” from 9am to 3pm. Tiffin is an older word which referred to a "light meal." The fact that Dim Sum was in quotes probably indicates it was a new item for many non-Chinese.ĭuring the 1940s, it seems that many people thought Dim Sum was a specific food item, and not a type of meal. The advertisement, shown above, noted that Fong In featured famous “Dim Sum” Chinese Tiffin. The earliest newspaper reference I found to Dim Sum was in The San Francisco Examiner, December 2, 1939. In time, Dim Sum became one of those new offerings. ![]() As Chinese restaurants became more popular with non-Chinese, then maybe the owners wanted to expand their offerings, to offer something different to their customers, rather than the usual chop suey and chow mein dishes. That would help explain the paucity of newspaper references in the 1920-1930s. It is possible, and maybe even likely, that Dim Sum was initially something available primarily to the Chinese community, so they didn't advertise to non-Chinese that it was available. As I've said before, long-term restaurants sometimes create an origin myth, giving them some type of priority or precedence, one which isn't true. However, I've been unable to find any newspapers or other references mentioning these two restaurants during the 1920s and 1930s, so I haven't been able to document that they were actually serving Dim Sum during this time period. Both of these restaurants are still open. However, it was closely followed, also in 1920, by the Nom Wah Tea Parlor in New York City. was the Hang Ah Tea Room, in San Francisco, which opened in 1920. It's alleged that the first Dim Sum restaurant in the U.S. The term itself, "Dim Sum," now refers to not only the dough-wrapped snacks, but also the entire meal as well. Dim sum can be roughly seen as Chinese brunch, whose roots may have begun in the region of Canton. ![]() However, " Yum cha," which literally translates as " will you drink tea," probably predated Dim Sum, though the term is sometimes now used a as synonym. ![]() In brief, “ Dim sum” is the Cantonese pronunciation of "diǎnxīn," a verb that eventually came to refer to " snacks" or " light meals." It's thought that Dim Sum may have originated over 1,000 years ago, when tea houses provided some light snacks to their guests. However, there are some fascinating facts which can be found, giving us a deeper look into the history of Dim Sum. seem murky, with little evidence supporting some of the historical claims. I've been intrigued by the question, what was the first Dim Sum restaurant in Boston's Chinatown? Recently, I've been working on expanding my five-part series, The First Restaurants in Boston's Chinatown, and I started thinking about Dim Sum, and its origins in Boston and elsewhere. You'll also find Dim Sum joints outside of Boston, in surrounding communities and the suburbs. Or maybe you've eaten at some of the other Dim Sum spots in Chinatown, such as the Winsor Dim Sum Cafe, Empire Garden, or China Pearl. Instead of ordering off a menu, you simply point at the dishes you want, such as their famed Char Siu Bao, BBQ Pork Buns. Maybe you've previously eaten Dim Sum at the huge Hei-La Moon, on Beach Street, where numerous trolley carts of bamboo steamers with buns, dumplings, and other dishes are pushed around the room. Have you enjoyed Dim Sum in Boston's Chinatown? If not, you definitely should do so, as its delicious, fun and social.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |