Dim Sum

The custom of tea drinking in China dates back to the legendary Shen Nung, who is said to have personally tried hundreds of grasses and herbs to test their medicinal effects and toxicity. Tea was a popular drink by the Sung Dynasty (960-1280 A.D.), and gradually, innovations in the tea drinking custom were introduced. In addition to a high level of connoisseurship of the various types of teas and improvements in the quality of tea leaves, a broad variety of accompaniments to tea drinking began to appear - dim sum.

In China's ancient agricultural society, people would often head for a tea house after an exhausting day in the fields. Here they would mix warm conversation with fine tea and a tantalizing selection of dim sum. The quantity of each was kept small-the delicacies were served in tiers of bamboo steamers or small to medium-sized plates-so that many different varieties could be sampled. This custom has continued up through present day.

from dimsum.com