Tong Sui Shop on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
''Tong sui'' (; ), also known as ''tim tong'', is a collective term for any sweet, warm soup or custard served as a dessert at the end of a meal in Cantonese cuisine. ''Tong sui'' are a Cantonese specialty and many varieties are rarely found in other regional cuisines of China. Outside of Cantonese-speaking communities, soupy desserts generally are not recognized as a distinct category, and the term ''tong sui'' is not used.
In
Tong sui shops in
Historically, the basic ingredients of traditional sweet soups are beans, milk, and fruits. The desserts and sweet soups provided in the menus of the traditional tong sui shops are mainly the Chinese-style sweet soups. Staples like 新舊糖水舖 左右互搏生意經. The Sun. Retrieved 19/3/2014
/ref>
Recipe for sweet potato soup
Various Tong Sui photos on Flickr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tong sui Cantonese words and phrases Chinese desserts Chinese soups Cantonese cuisine
''Tong sui'' (; ), also known as ''tim tong'', is a collective term for any sweet, warm soup or custard served as a dessert at the end of a meal in Cantonese cuisine. ''Tong sui'' are a Cantonese specialty and many varieties are rarely found in other regional cuisines of China. Outside of Cantonese-speaking communities, soupy desserts generally are not recognized as a distinct category, and the term ''tong sui'' is not used.
In Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
, Macao
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a po ...
and Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, a large variety of tong sui is served in tong sui specialty stores. Tong sui stores have also gained prominence in overseas Chinese communities, and are found in various parts of Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, Australia and the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
History
Tong sui shops in Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
mainly originated from the postwar period
In Western usage, the phrase post-war era (or postwar era) usually refers to the time since the end of World War II. More broadly, a post-war period (or postwar period) is the interval immediately following the end of a war. A post-war period c ...
. Chinese migrants brought their hometown sweet soups to Hong Kong, such as red bean soup
Hong dou tang () is a popular Chinese dish served in Mainland China, and Taiwan. It is categorized as a ''tang shui'' 糖水 (pinyin: táng shuǐ) (literally translated as sugar water) or sweet soup. It is often served cold during the summer, and ...
from Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
and tang yuan from Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
. Newcomers sold tong sui in newly opened street side food stalls and Chinese tea house.
During the 1980s to 1990s, Hong Kong's economy developed rapidly and living standards rose. Western desserts and sweet soups were imported to Hong Kong by Western hotels or cooks who had studied in the West. Under Western influence, people started using fresh fruits to create new-style tong sui such as tapioca pudding. Many Chinese herbal tea shops like Hui Lau Shan
Hui Lau Shan () is a chain of dessert shops based in Hong Kong. Founded in the 1960s as a herbal tea outlet, the chain evolved into a restaurant chain specializing in sweets, snacks and dessert soups called tong sui. Since the introduction o ...
transformed into tong sui shops.
In the 21st century, chain tong sui shops have become more prominent and recommended as tourist attractions by The Hong Kong Tourism Board
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is a Government-subvented body founded in 2001. The Board replaced the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) established in 1957. It has 15 branch offices and representative offices in 6 markets around the w ...
.
Traditional tong sui
Historically, the basic ingredients of traditional sweet soups are beans, milk, and fruits. The desserts and sweet soups provided in the menus of the traditional tong sui shops are mainly the Chinese-style sweet soups. Staples like red bean soup
Hong dou tang () is a popular Chinese dish served in Mainland China, and Taiwan. It is categorized as a ''tang shui'' 糖水 (pinyin: táng shuǐ) (literally translated as sugar water) or sweet soup. It is often served cold during the summer, and ...
and sweet almond soup are common types of sweet soups sold in the ordinary tong sui shops./ref>
Common varieties
See also
* Cantonese desserts *Chè
''Chè'' () is any traditional Vietnamese sweet beverage, dessert soup or stew, or pudding. ''Chè'' includes a wide variety of distinct soups or puddings. Varieties of Chè can be made with mung beans, black-eyed peas, kidney beans, tapioca ...
*Compote
Compote or compôte (French for ''mixture'') is a dessert originating from medieval Europe, made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and spices. The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemo ...
*Fruit cocktail
Fruit salad is a dish consisting of various kinds of fruit, sometimes served in a liquid, either their juices or a syrup. In different forms, fruit salad can be served as an appetizer or a side salad. When served as an appetizer, a fruit salad ...
*Kissel
Kissel or kisel ( et, kissell, fi, kiisseli, Livonian: ''kīsõl'', ltg, keiseļs, lv, ķīselis, lt, kisielius, pl, kisiel, rus, кисель, r=kiselʼ, uk, кисiль, , , ) is a cold-solidified dish with the consistency of a thick ge ...
*Kompot
Kompot or compote is a non-alcoholic sweet beverage that may be served hot or cold, depending on tradition and season. It is obtained by cooking fruit such as strawberries, apricots, peaches, apples, raspberries, rhubarb, plums, or sour cherries ...
* List of Chinese desserts
Chinese desserts are sweet foods and dishes that are served with tea, along with meals
* List of Chinese soups
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
* List of soups
This is a list of notable soups. Soups have been made since Ancient history, ancient times.
Some soups are served with large chunks of meat or vegetables left in the liquid, while others are served as a broth. A broth is a flavored liquid usua ...
*Ching bo leung
''Ching bo leung'' (; also spelt ''ching po leung'' or ''qing bu liang'') is a sweet, cold soup of Chinese origin and commonly served in Cantonese cuisine, Hainanese cuisine and Guangxi cuisine. It is a type of ''tong sui''. It is known as ' ...
*Tangyuan (food)
Tangyuan () is a traditional Chinese dessert made of glutinous rice shaped into a ball that is served in a hot broth or syrup. They come in varying sizes, anything between a marble to a ping pong ball, and are sometimes stuffed with filling. ...
Sources
External links
Recipe for sweet potato soup
Various Tong Sui photos on Flickr
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tong sui Cantonese words and phrases Chinese desserts Chinese soups Cantonese cuisine