Matcha is green tea made by grinding young tea leaves into powder, then whisking the powder into hot water so the whole leaf is drunk. It originated in China and reached Japan around 1250, where it became central to the tea ceremony, called chanoyu. When matcha first reached Western travelers in the 19th century, many found it unpleasant. Writers compared it to pea soup, and one American journalist called it green gruel more bitter than quinine. Matcha only became popular in the West much later.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.