The cuisine of Hong Kong can best be described as a type of eclectic cuisine with extensive influences from Cantonese cuisine and parts of non-Cantonese-speaking China (especially Chaozhou, Dongjiang, Fujian and the Yangtze River Delta), Western world, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

Due to Hong Kong's past as a British colony and long history of being an international city of commerce. From the roadside stalls to the most upscale restaurants, Hong Kong provides an unlimited variety of food in every class. Complex combinations and international gourmet expertise have given Hong Kong the reputable labels of "Gourmet Paradise" and "World's Fair of Food".

Most restaurant serving sizes are considerably small by international standards, especially in comparison to most Western nations like the United States or Canada. The main course is usually accompanied by a generous portion of carbohydrates such as rice or mein (noodles). People generally eat five times a day. Dinner is often accompanied with dessert. Snack time also fits anywhere in between meals.

As Hong Kong is Cantonese in origin and most Hong Kong Chinese are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from Cantonese-speaking parts of China, the food is a variant of Cantonese cuisine - almost all home-cooking and much of the dine-out fares, from restaurant to bakery, are Cantonese or heavily Cantonese-influenced.

Most of the celebrated food in Hong Kong such as the wife cake, roast duck, dim sum, herbal tea, shark's fin and abalone cooking, poached chicken, and the moon cake, and others, originated in Guangzhou, and dai pai dong was an institution adopted from the southern Chinese city.

As in the parent cuisine, the Hong Kong Cantonese cuisine accepts a wide variety of ingredients, a lighted seasoned taste. Unlike Guangzhou, the uninterrupted contacts Hong Kong has with the West has made it more susceptible to Western influences, and has produced favorites such as egg tarts, Hong Kong-style milk tea.

In addition, other foreign styles of cuisines are also popular in the territory, although almost all offer one of generic Western (authentic, international, or Hong Kong-style), Italian, French, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, Malaysian and Singaporean cuisines.

Similar to Cantonese cuisine elsewhere, Hong Kong's cooking uses a wide variety of ingredients and the common ones include: century egg; salted duck egg; Chinese cabbage; Shiitake; Kai-lan; Red Bean; Hoisin Sauce; Chinese sausage; Dried Shrimp; Dried Scallop; Jujube; Lotus seed.

Renowned as the culinary capital of Asia, Hong Kong boasts more than 11,000 restaurants, many of them clustered in defined food districts. Apart from enjoying the best Cantonese and regional Chinese food, visitors can sample a full choice of authentic Asian cuisines and Western fare. Local must-try dishes are dim sum and fresh seafood, with some of the top examples found in Best of the Best award-winning restaurants.

Highlights of recommended food:

Dim Sum

Dim sum is a wide range of delightful Chinese snacks served in bamboo baskets accompanied by Chinese tea. Having dim sum in Hong Kong is a unique experience you shouldn't miss.

Seafood



For a distinctive culinary experience, try the fresh seafood. The freshness is guaranteed as you can select live fish from tanks at the restaurant. Whether you like steamed, fried or grilled seafood, try it cooked Hong Kong-style!

Barbecued pork puffs



Custard tart

Hong Kong style tea with milk

Pumpkin pie

Sweet osmanthus water chestnut cake

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