Sweet Porridge facts for kids

1985 East German postage stamp which depicts a scene from "Sweet Porridge"

"Sweet Porridge" (also known as "The Magic Porridge Pot") is a famous German fairy tale. It was collected by the well-known Brothers Grimm in the 1800s. You can find it as tale number 103 in their book, Grimms' Fairy Tales. This story is about a special pot that can cook delicious porridge. It teaches us about being careful with magic and how things can sometimes get out of control!

The Story of the Magic Pot

Once upon a time, there was a kind, poor girl who lived with her mother. They had nothing left to eat. The girl went into the forest, hoping to find something. There, she met an old woman who knew about their troubles.

The old woman gave the girl a small, magical pot. This pot could cook tasty, sweet millet porridge. All the girl had to do was say, "Cook, little pot, cook!" To make it stop, she just needed to say, "Stop, little pot!"

The girl took the magic pot home to her mother. Now, they were no longer poor or hungry. They could eat sweet porridge whenever they wanted!

The Porridge Overflow

One day, the girl went out. Her mother was hungry and decided to use the magic pot. She said, "Cook, little pot, cook!" The pot immediately started making delicious porridge. The mother ate until she was full and happy.

But then, she wanted the pot to stop cooking. She tried to remember the special words, but she couldn't! The pot kept cooking and cooking. The sweet porridge began to rise over the edge of the pot.

It filled the kitchen, then the whole house! Still, the pot cooked on. The porridge flowed out into the next house, and then down the entire street. It looked like it wanted to feed the whole world! Everyone in the town was in a panic, but no one knew how to stop the magic pot.

Finally, when almost the whole town was covered in porridge, the girl came home. She saw the huge mess and quickly said, "Stop, little pot!" The pot immediately stopped cooking.

To get back into town, everyone had to eat their way through the sweet porridge! It was a very sticky situation, but at least no one was hungry anymore.