Telling cultural stories through food in Hong Kong

Through the dishes, visitors will have interesting experiences about the culture and lifestyle of Hong Kong people. Strolling on culinary streets such as Kowloon, Tai Po Hui or Sham Shui Po, it is not difficult for visitors to find a variety of Western-style dishes such as sausages, fried eggs or toast to dishes typical of Hong Kong culture such as dimsum, pan-fried radish cakes or marinated chicken feet. Let's learn about Hong Kong culture through the typical dishes below.

Enjoy tea and dimsum in Hong Kong style

Enjoying tea and eating dim sum is a common eating habit of Hong Kong people.

PHOTO: HONG KONG TOURISM BOARD

Dim sum is a familiar dish to Vietnamese people. Interestingly, in Hong Kong, people often eat dim sum with tea (yum cha). This way of eating originated from Guangdong, China and gradually became more popular with the Chinese community, becoming a characteristic of your country's cuisine.

The association between dim sum and yum cha is so common in Hong Kong that if a local invites you to yum cha, it can be understood as eating dim sum. For the locals, eating dim sum with tea is not just a dining habit, but also a way to enjoy life, to spend time with family and friends.

Diners choose dim sum from a cart.

In the past, dim sum was often served on restaurant food carts, regardless of whether it was savory or sweet. Diners just had to choose their dishes as the waiter pushed the cart to each table. But now this form of eating is almost gone. If you want to try this way of eating, you can go to Maxim's Palace restaurant. Besides, Tim Ho Wan or Yum Cha are also delicious dim sum restaurants that you should visit if you have the opportunity to visit Hong Kong.

Black sesame sweet soup, authentic Chinese style

If you want to know what "standard" Chinese sweets are like, you definitely cannot miss Kai Kai dessert shop, which has been on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list for 9 consecutive years with a total of 11 stars.

PHOTO: @KAIKAI _ DESSERT _ TAIWAN

Located in a small alley next to Nathan Road, about 3 minutes walk from Jordan Station, Kai Kai dessert shop has 2 floors with a spacious space. The menu of the shop has about 24 different desserts, from lotus seed dessert, almond dessert, stewed papaya to cao quy linh. The most popular dish is black sesame dessert. The secret to a delicious bowl of black sesame dessert lies in the meticulousness and care in each stage of making the dessert, from choosing sesame, roasting to grinding, helping the dessert have a smooth, thick, rich texture without being greasy. 9 consecutive years appearing on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list (2016 - 2024) with a total of 11 stars is a guarantee of the quality of this dessert shop.

Dai Pai Dong Night Food

Located on streets or alleys, open stalls and tables packed with customers, iron pans with blazing fires, large-sized licenses hanging on the walls - Dai Pai Dong means 'Big License Stall' in Cantonese, is a feature of Hong Kong street food.

Existing for over 60 years, Oi Man Sang is one of the few remaining Dai Pai Dong-style street food stalls with the chef's famous wok-tossing performance.

Located on Shek Kip Mei Road, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon, the restaurant is open from 4pm to 11pm, and is busiest during dinner time. The open kitchen area allows diners to watch the chefs toss the wok skillfully.

One of the dishes that diners love is stir-fried cockles with black spicy and sour sauce.

PHOTO: HONG KONG TOURISM BOARD

The plump cockles are quickly stir-fried by the chef over high heat for 5 seconds to retain their freshness, adding sliced ​​bell peppers and onions, and seasoned with a little saltiness from the black bean sauce.

Eat Hong Kong egg tart

Egg tart is a traditional dessert in Hong Kong that any visitor should try. In 2014, egg tart was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of Hong Kong.

PHOTO: HONG KONG TOURISM BOARD

Many Hong Kongers grew up eating egg tarts from Tai Cheong Bakery in Central. Opened in 1954, the bakery’s menu features a variety of traditional Hong Kong pastries such as pineapple cakes, wife cakes, and orange cakes, but its most special is its egg tart. The soft, creamy custard filling blends with the crispy, melt-in-your-mouth crust, creating an irresistible taste. It’s no wonder this bakery is considered one of the best places to eat egg tarts in the city.

Inspired by the British custard tart, Hong Kong egg tarts typically use biscuits as the base, lard instead of butter for the crust, and steamed eggs instead of custard for the filling. The result is a tart with a crispy crust and a smooth, eggy filling. This innovation also helped make egg tarts more affordable for the masses, making them the popular snack they are today.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thoi-trang-tre/ke-chuyen-van-hoa-qua-cac-mon-an-tai-hong-kong-185250114083350318.htm