Description Almeirim

Almeirim is a Portuguese city. Located in Ribatejo, it belongs to the District of Santarém, has about 11 700 inhabitants. Wikipedia

Of very ancient origin, this region was already populated in prehistory, but it was in the century. XVI that Almeirim experienced great development, a time when the Portuguese court chose it as one of the favorite places for summer, being the trip from Lisbon made in bergantins that went up the Tagus River. D. Manuel I, who was then the king of Portugal, ordered the construction of a Royal Palace here, which was destroyed by the 1755 earthquake.

Nowadays, agriculture is still the main economic activity in the region, growing tomatoes, melons, and vines of great extension, which give rise to the famous mature red wines that are much appreciated.

Typical of Almeirim is the famous "soup of the Stone", whose recipe according to tradition was invented by a smart Friar who presented himself in the locality with a stone, with which he would demonstrate that an excellent broth could be made. When the water in the pan in which the stone "was boiling" was already boiling, he was asking for just one more ingredient to taste (and that could be salt, chorizo, beans, potatoes) and so he cooked a substantial soup and deceived the people of the region