Question

why did the villagers initially hesitate to put anything to the soup​

Answer 1

Answer:

The villagers initially hesitated to add anything to the soup because they were suspicious about the soup and nobody wanted to make a fool of himself.

Answer 2

The villagers initially hesitated to add anything to the soup as they were suspicious about the soup. Nobody wanted to move first or to admit his curiosity. No villager wanted to make a fool of himself but suddenly a common impulse overcame them all. One by one they all slipped away and came back with a contribution to be added to the soup.