Almeirim

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Almeirim is one of the few places where the Ribatejo tradition is very genuine and real. Located in the heart of the lezíria do Tejo, this municipality of four parishes is part of Santarém's district. This is a place with a rich history. It is since prehistory that various folks have been settling here. There are still traces of this occupation in our days, like the Fonte da Moça epipaleolithic shell beds, a few milestones belonging to the Roman road that connected Mérida and Lisbon and also the Roman town of Azeitada. Almeirim is closely linked to one of its most famous products: Sopa de Pedra (stone soup). The recipe of this magnificent soup is well known today and expanded far beyond Almeirim, considered Portugal's capital of the Stone Soup. Stone Soup is linked to a legend, which tells the story of a friar who, feeling tired after a long journey, knocked on the door of a house and asked for a borrowed pot to make a soup made of stone. What initially was a simple soup turned out to be a good spicy soup, once the friar took advantage of the curiosity of the house owners to gradually get more ingredients. In the end, the friar took the stone from the pan and kept it to use in a new opportunity.