I'm fairly sure that it was in the Mudcat that I first heard of rock soup, but a search of the forum draws a blank.

I thought it was a story from American hobo lore, but Google sources suggest a Danish, possibly HC Andersen story. I also assumed it to be a myth of resourcefulness, and in particularly the ability to build something out of nothing, but different versions which I found via Google tell the story in slightly different ways to draw out different morals: e.g. the value of community effort, or the cynicism of business consultants.

Can the Mudcat oracle give some reliable guidance on the authentic original rock-soup myth, please?