The story
Monks in the hills around Hangzhou's West Lake grew tea as far back as the Tang dynasty, when tea scholar Lu Yu noted the area's temple teas. The flat, pan-fired green tea known today probably took shape in the Ming dynasty, and it is named after Longjing, or Dragon Well, a village whose spring is said to swirl as if a dragon lived beneath it. In the Qing dynasty it became an imperial tribute tea. Legend says the Qianlong Emperor, touring West Lake in the 1700s, was so pleased by a cup at a temple on Lion Peak that he honoured 18 bushes growing in front of it.
Also known as Dragon Well tea, Lung Ching tea, 西湖龙井, Xihu Longjing.
On the Meridish menu
Longjing tea was the aperitif course on menu No. 10 on October 10, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
A pan-fired green tea with flat, jade-green leaves, grown in hills beside a famous lake. Legend says a visiting emperor honoured 18 of its bushes.
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.
