Common Chinese food appetizers include dim sum, a broad assortment of small, snacklike dishes of probable Cantonese origin that are now staples in Chinese restaurants worldwide. According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, the name comes from a Cantonese word for “appetizer” (Mandarin: dianxin), and dim sum is traditionally served for breakfast or lunch with tea.
Britannica groups many of these dishes into steamed and fried styles. Steamed examples include char siu bao (pork buns) and siu mai (open-topped dumplings with pork, shrimp, and vegetables). A widely known fried appetizer is the spring roll (or egg roll in some restaurants): a deep-fried wrapper filled with minced meat and vegetables, or vegetables alone. These small plates are often shared and served from trolleys, cards, or baskets in yum cha (tea-and-dim-sum) meals.