Stone Soup, zuppa di sasso, and cooking at Cooking on the Bay!

Preparing for the weekend Italian classes, I was reading a lovely book called Acquacotta: recipes and stories from Tuscany’s secret silver coast, by Emiko Davies, given to me, recently, by my dear friend Jenny Peters. Along with some wonderful Tuscan recipes, Emiko mentions the story of Stone Soup or in Italian zuppa di sasso.

This ancient, European folktale illustrates how, working together, with everyone contributing, a greater good is achieved.

The joy of cooking and sharing together around a table, is one of the things I love about teaching cooking at Cooking on the Bay.  It is what we achieve here when we cook together in the classes. We start with everyone selecting what they would like to cook. Participants form into small groups of 2 or 3 who cook together, sharing, chatting contributing, with the end result, our banquet luncheon. A perfect team effort.

Another wonderful pleasure is that, the strangers who arrive in the morning, are friends by lunchtime when they dine and share the luncheon together. This makes for a very special cooking class day!

The story of Stone Soup goes along like this: a kindly, old stranger was walking through the land when he came upon a village. As he entered, the villagers moved towards their homes locking doors and windows.

The stranger smiled and asked, why are you all so frightened. I am a simple traveller, looking for a soft place to stay for the night and a warm place for a meal.

“There’s not a bite to eat in the whole province,” he was told. “We are weak and our children are starving. Better keep moving on.”

“Oh, I have everything I need,” he said. “In fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you.” He pulled an iron cauldron from his cloak, filled it with water, and began to build a fire under it.

Then, with great ceremony, he drew an ordinary-looking stone from a silken bag and dropped it into the water.

By now, hearing the rumour of food, most of the villagers had come out of their homes or watched from their windows. As the stranger sniffed the “broth” and licked his lips in anticipation, hunger began to overcome their fear.

“Ahh,” the stranger said to himself rather loudly, “I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with cabbage — that’s hard to beat.”

Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a small cabbage he’d retrieved from its hiding place, and added it to the pot.

“Wonderful!!” cried the stranger. “You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of salt beef as well, and it was fit for a king.”

The village butcher managed to find some salt beef . . . And so it went, through potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and so on, until there was indeed a delicious meal for everyone in the village to share.

The villager elder offered the stranger a great deal of money for the magic stone, but he refused to sell it and travelled on the next day.

As he left, the stranger came upon a group of village children standing near the road. He gave the silken bag containing the stone to the youngest child, whispering to a group, “It was not the stone, but the villagers that had performed the magic.”

Moral of the story: by working together, with everyone contributing what they can, a greater good is achieved.