The story
The dim sim is a Chinese-Australian creation from Melbourne. Its name comes from a southern Chinese pronunciation of dim sum, and it appears in Australian print as early as 1928. The modern version is usually credited to William Wing Young, a Victorian-born businessman who developed a recipe in Melbourne's Chinatown around 1945 for his food company, Wing Lee. His daughter, the chef Elizabeth Chong, says he did not invent it but did turn it into a fast-food icon. Bigger and chunkier than dim sum, the dumplings spread to fish-and-chip shops nationwide, and South Melbourne Market is famous for its own version.
Rival claims
The name appears as early as 1928; William Wing Young's daughter Elizabeth Chong says he popularised it rather than invented it. Melbourne is still the accepted home.
Also known as dimmy, dimmies, South Melbourne dim sim.
On the Meridish menu
Dim sim was the starter course on menu No. 13 on October 13, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A chunky pork-and-cabbage dumpling, steamed or deep-fried, sold in fish-and-chip shops. A Chinatown businessman here developed the modern recipe in 1945 for his food company.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
