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Sopa da Pedra (Stone soup): This is one of Portugal’s richest soups and comes from the city of Almeirim, north of Lisbon. Legend has it that a hungry friar begging for alms knocked at the door of an Almeirim farm labourer’s house. When the labourer tried to turn him away, the friar picked up a stone and asked him to lend him a pot and some water so that he could make a delicious stone soup. Incredulous, the labourer and his family agreed. As the water boiled, the friar remarked that the soup would improve considerably if they gave him some lard, which they also provided. Tasting the soup at various intervals, the friar was able to obtain salt, cabbage and a morsel of smoked sausage, everything he needed to make his wholesome soup. When he had eaten it, only the stone remained at the bottom of the pot. Questioned by the family over what he would do with the stone, the friar replied that he would wash it and take it with him for use the next time he was hungry.
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