The story
Hot dry noodles are Wuhan's beloved breakfast. The usual story places their invention in the 1930s in Hankou, the city's old commercial district on the Yangtze. A noodle seller near a temple there, worried that unsold noodles would spoil in the summer heat, boiled them and accidentally tipped sesame oil over them; when he seasoned and served them the next day, customers loved them, and he called them hot dry noodles. Another account credits Cai Mingwei, who refined the recipe with alkaline noodles and sesame paste and opened the famous Cai Lin Ji shop in the 1940s. Locals still eat them on the go every morning.
Also known as 热干面, reganmian, re gan mian, Wuhan hot dry noodles.
On the Meridish menu
Hot dry noodles (reganmian) was the rice & noodles course on menu No. 24 on October 24, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Springy alkaline noodles tossed in sesame paste and chilli oil, eaten on the go at breakfast. A 1930s street stall in this Yangtze river city made them first.
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.
