Many people having read the title of this blog must be wondering have I turned crazy to write something so strange as ‘Buddha jumps over the wall’ and that too in the food section. For those who think that way, let me make it clear, I am very much right in talking about ‘Buddha jumps over the wall’ in the food blog. Buddha jumps over the wall is an exceptional soup that was created in Fuzhou in Fujian province of China where it is a highly relished delicacy. Many stories have been told about how the name of the dish was arrived at. 
According to one legend, Buddha, was engrossed in meditation one day. The site of his meditation happened to be in close proximity of a large wall. On the other side of the wall a dish was being prepared, the aromas of which captivated Buddha so much that he at once was stirred to jump over the wall to see what was being cooked. The story even goes to the extent of saying that Buddha kept aside his vegetarian beliefs to go about enjoying the dish.
Another folk-tale says that a minister’s chef happened to put into a pot all the leftovers from land and sea after a party held by the minister. The delicious aromas arising out of the pot reached one of the monks in a monastery adjoining the minister’s garden. Such was the lure of the aromas that the monk jumped over the wall to get a taste of the dish. When the monk enquired about the dish, the sly cook came up with the name ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’.
So, what exactly went into the dish that tempted Buddha or the monk so much? Using as many as twenty to thirty different ingredients, this exceptional Chinese delight is arrived at. Some of these ingredients being chicken, Jinhua ham, pig’s trotters, quail eggs, shark fin, scallops, abalone, fish maw, sea cucumber, conpoy, ginseng, mushrooms, taro, bamboo shoots and many seasonings. The effort that goes into preparing this remarkable stew is noteworthy. The soup is prepared by cooking all ingredients on a low flame in chicken broth and Shaoxing wine and may require two days to be cooked to perfection. More exotic the ingredients used in the making, the more expensive this delicacy is bound to be.
Nevertheless, one can indeed marvel at the patience an effort people put in to please their taste buds.
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Source: Chinesefood, Wikipedia, Thatsbj
