Almeirim

Almeirim is a city and a municipality in Santarém District, Portugal.

Geography

Almeirim is situated 70 kilometres (43 mi) from Lisbon, and 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) in Santarém; its neighbours include Alpiarça (to the north), Chamusca (in the east and northeast), Salvaterra da Magos, Coruche (both in the south), Santarém (in the northwest) and Cartaxo (in the south).

The municipality is situated on a plain along the Tagus Valley and Lezíria, approximately 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) along the left bank of the Tagus River. The morphology of the terrain is marked by a planar relief with little forests, with cultivation interspersed between pastures and vineyards.

The municipality of Almeirim is subdivided into the following 4 parishes:

Two main roadways support the population of Almeirim: the EN114 and EN118, in addition to the inter-community IC10. The construction of the Salgueiro Maia bridge and A13 bridge serves and reinforces the privileged location of Almeirim, in addition to constant traffic from Santarém and the rest of the country.

Economy

The mainstay of the economy is agriculture, including wine making and modern industry of alimentary products such as fruit juices, processed tomato and canned vegetables (Compal).

Architecture

Civic

Bridge of Raposa (Portuguese: Ponte da Raposa)
Building of the Wine/Vineyard Institute of Almeirim (Portuguese: Edifício do Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho de Almeirim)
Building of the Almeirim CTT (Portuguese: Edifício dos Correios, Telégrafos e Telefones, CTT, de Almeirim)
Bullring of Almeirim (Portuguese: Praça de Touros de Almeirim)
Cemetery of Almeirim (Portuguese: Cemetério de Almeirim)
Cinema-Theatre of Almeirim (Portuguese: Cine-Teatro de Almeirim)
Fountain of São Roque (Portuguese: Fonte de São Roque/Fonte dos Namorados)
Hospital of the Misericórida of Almeirim (Portuguese: Hospital da Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Almeirim)
Municipal Market of Almeirim (Portuguese: Mercado Municipal de Almeirim)
National Republican Guard Post of Almeirim (Portuguese: Posto da Guarda Nacional Republicana, GNR, de Almeirim/Tribunal Judicial de Almeirim)
Palace of the Marquesses of Alorna (Portuguese: Palácio dos Marqueses de Alorna/Casa da Quinta de Vale de Nabais)
Portico of paço dos Negros (Portuguese: Pórtico de Paço dos Negros/Paço dos Negros da Ribeira de Muge)
Residence of Quinta de Santa Maria (Portuguese: Casa da Quinta de Santa Maria)
Residence of the Cortes of Almeirim (Portuguese: Casa das Cortes de Almeirim)
Residential Home of São José (Portuguese: Lar Residencial de São José)

Religious

Church of Santa Marta (Portuguese: Igreja Paroquial de Benfica do Ribatejo/Igreja de Santa Marta)
Church of São António (Portuguese: Igreja Paroquial da Raposa/Igreja de Santo António)
Church of São João Baptista (Portuguese: Igreja Paroquial de Almeirim/Igreja de São João Baptista)
Convent of Serra (Portuguese: Convento da Serra)
Monastery of the Third Order of São Francisco of Almeirim (Portuguese: Mosteiro da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco de Almeirim/Escolas Velhas)

Culture

The city is also known for its gastronomy, to which Stone Soup is just one great example. According to the people of Almeirim, a poor friar who was on a pilgrimage stopped in the village of Almeirim and knocked on the door of a house. He was too proud to beg for a bite to eat, so instead, he requested a large pot in which he could make “a delicious and filling…….stone soup”. With arched eyebrows and curious glances, the family invited him into their home and set up a large pot over flickering flames and filled with water.

Slowly walking up to the iron clad cauldron, the friar reached into his deep pocket to produce a smooth and well-cleaned stone that he promptly dropped into the boiling water. A little while later he tasted the soup and said that it needed a touch of seasoning. So the wife brought him some salt to add, to which he suggested that maybe a little bit of chouriço (sausage), or pork belly, would be better. Graciously, she obliged and dropped several thick slices into the pot. Then, the friar asked if she might not have a little something to enrich the soup, such as potatoes or beans from a previous meal. With a broad smile, she agreed, and added a healthy portion into the bubbling water. This banter continued back and forth between the family and the friar before he finally announced that he had indeed made a very delicious and filling soup. When the soup was done, the friar fished the stone out of the pot, washed and dried it off, and plopped it back in his pocket for the next time.

Nowadays Almeirim is a gastronomical destiny for Portuguese people, as well as for foreign people, willing to taste this soup. Restaurants like “O Pinheiro”, “o Toucinho” and “O Minhoto” are restaurants that serve this dish.