In 1232, while the king of Aragon, Jaime I the Conqueror , was preparing the conquest of Valencia from Teruel, specifically from Alcañiz, he fell ill with a rare disease for which his doctors could not find a solution. They tried all kinds of concoctions, potions, and salves, but nothing made the Conqueror any better. Until an old woman from Teruel said she had the solution:she only needed heads of garlic. The problem was that they were not left in the area, and the only possibility of obtaining them was to enter the Valencian orchard, at that time under Muslim rule. Three young people from Teruel volunteered for that almost suicidal mission. And what if it was, only one of them managed to return, but he did so with the precious garlic. They gave them to the old woman and she prepared the miraculous concoction. In a few days the king was ready and willing again thanks to the garlic soups, made (today) with bread, paprika, garlic, olive oil, poached egg and, of course, Teruel ham. After his illness, when he learned of the price paid for the garlic, he exclaimed:
Expensive garlic!
Jaime I enters Valencia
The king popularized its consumption and made the decision to extend the cultivation of garlic throughout his kingdom. The saying goes…
Soups have seven virtues,
they take away hunger,
they give little thirst.
They make you sleep
and digest
They never make you angry
and always they please
And they raise a red face
