The unique culinary art of dim sum originated with the Cantonese in southern China, who over the centuries have transformed tea tasting from a relaxing respite to a loud and happy dining experience.

In most cities and towns in Guangdong province, many restaurants start serving dim sum as early as 5 am. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises, often enjoying the morning newspapers.

Restaurants specializing in this kind of food typically only serve it until mid-afternoon (around the time of a traditional Western 3 pm coffee break), and serve other kinds of Cantonese cuisine in the evening. Nowadays, various dim sum are even sold as take-out for students and office workers on the go.

Standard fare include shrimp dumpling (up right), a steamed dumpling, cha shao bao, the most popular bun with a Cantonese barbecued pork filling, and turnip cake (up left), which is made from mashed daikon radish mixed with bits of dried shrimp and pork sausage that are steamed and then cut into slices and pan-fried.