Stone Soup

About this story

Stone Soup is a European folk tale told in many countries: in France and Portugal travellers make soup from a stone, while in Scandinavia it is nail soup. In most versions hungry soldiers or a wandering traveller trick a stingy village into sharing, one ingredient at a time. This retelling keeps the classic trick and ends with the whole village sitting down to eat together.

Tips for telling it

• Keep a list of everything that goes into the pot and let your child recite it at the end.
• Ask your child: what was the real secret ingredient?
• Make your own stone soup together with a well-scrubbed pebble and whatever vegetables you have.

Questions people ask

What is the moral of Stone Soup?

Sharing and cooperation turn a little into a lot. Each villager believes they have nothing to spare, but when everyone adds one thing, there is a feast for all.

Where does the Stone Soup story come from?

It is a European folk tale with no single author. It is told in France, Portugal and many other countries, and in Scandinavia the same trick is played with a nail. Marcia Brown's 1947 picture book made it a classroom favourite in America.

Is Stone Soup a real soup?

The stone adds no flavour, but you can make it as a family game: drop in a clean, scrubbed stone and let everyone add a vegetable. In Portugal, sopa de pedra is a real dish named after the tale.