sopa de pederas

[Dejah]

Our staff is planning an after-exams dinner / staff meeting. One of the restaurants we looked into offered sopa de pederas as a soup choice.

I gathered that "stone soup" is Portugese and is made with anything that's on hand with appropriate seasonings, seafood of some sort? I need more information so we'll have some idea of what to expect.

Thanks!

[Brainfoodie]

"Sopa de Pedra" comes from an old Portuguese legend of a monk who wanted to make a soup but no one has giving him anything so he said "well I'll have to make a soup with only a stone then". Villagers felt sorry for this and started giving him more and more ingredients to add.

Anyway eventually this became a local speciality of Almeirim, in the north of Portugal. It's a very meaty soup (no seafood!!) and the now official ingredients are:

red kidney beans (partially mashed)

pig's ear

blood sausage

chorizo

smoked pork belly

potatoes

onions

garlic

bay leaf

coriander

and of course salt and pepper

In the traditional restaurant they used to serve it with a (large, easy to see) stone too, but I'm not sure that's still allowed by EU laws..

Edited February 14, 2011 by Brainfoodie (log)

[Dejah]

Thanks for the info', Brainfoodie. I'll report back once we'vw had the dinner!