The story
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall comes from Fuzhou, capital of Fujian on China's southeast coast. The usual story is set in the Qing dynasty: an official's household simmered pork, chicken, duck and seafood together in a wine jar to impress a superior, whose personal chef, Zheng Chunfa, learned and refined the recipe, later serving it at his own Fuzhou restaurant, Juchunyuan. It first had a name wishing blessings and long life, until a diner wrote a poem joking that even the Buddha would leap a monastery wall to taste it. Another version credits a travelling scholar. It is now a Chinese banquet showpiece.
Rival claims
Stories differ on who first made it (an official's household or chef Zheng Chunfa of the Juchunyuan restaurant), but all place it in Fuzhou.
Also known as 佛跳墙, fo tiao qiang, Buddha jumps over the wall soup.
On the Meridish menu
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was the soup course on menu No. 22 on October 22, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Abalone, sea cucumber, scallops and more, slow-cooked in a sealed wine jar. A poet joked even a monk would leap a wall to taste it, at a restaurant in this coastal city.
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
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha_Jumps_Over_the_Wall
- wb.fujian.gov.cn/English/momentsinfujian/202112/t20211224_5799269.htm
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
