In modern life there are rare serendipities and what must have always been the most basic preparation in Angeleta Farré’s recipe book, farigola soup (thyme soup), has suddenly become a viral phenomenon in the United States, where public radio has named this soup as one of the 12 best healing soups in the world.
It was thanks to two American journalists who traveled to the Vall Fosca. There, in Casa Leonardo, in the rural inn of Senterada, Angeleta Farré has been cooking for decades, preparing, among others, this farigola soup that is one of the most traditional recipes of the Catalan recipe book, and that the two journalists of the NPR channel, Matteo Fagotto and Matilde Gattoni, recorded to turn it into an Instagram reel.
The reel has already accumulated 33,000 “likes” and 1,200 comments, generating a wave of interest in this traditional recipe that has exceeded the expectations of this village of 158 inhabitants.
What is farigola soup?
Farigola soup (or sopa de timonets, as it is also known in Pallars) is a humble dish, consisting only of water, oil, salt, pepper and thyme, although some versions include an egg. Like so many humble soups, it is the fruit of necessity, but the fact that its main ingredient is thyme has meant that for centuries it has been used as a natural remedy to relieve tiredness, headaches, colds and digestive problems.
In the video Angeleta Farré explains that “it’s good for everything, whatever it is: exhaustion, flu, upset stomach…”. Her daughter, Cristina Lanau, recalls that, when she was a child, her mother always prepared this thyme soup or thyme water for her to fight colds and bronchitis. “And with this dish I was cured!” she says.
Now, the soup has put Casa Leonardo and Senterada on the map, and has drawn attention to Angeleta’s knowledge, which are those of so many other women who, from the kitchen and from the preservation of historical secrets, have maintained the tradition and care of so many generations.