The smell after a spring or summer shower is like none other. The aroma is a mix of heavenly mist and wafting dust. The kiss of the light rainfall excites mother earth. The sand and pebbles dance together and release a sweet fresh fragrance.
The dirt smells good enough to eat.
You’ve never heard of anyone eating dirt?
Many people like the taste of dirt. I’m not talking about gardening soil. Or the sand and dirt you track into the house. But the good sweet and sour tasting clay found in rural areas. Especially in Southern states like Alabama, and Mississippi.
Imagine eating a clay cookie or a do-it-yourself Pixie Stix.
Sounds gritty? The gourmet of clays has no grit.
According to some references, poor American whites and blacks practiced the custom of eating dirt.
This custom or tradition is still practiced in some cultures in the world. But stigmatized or tabooed in others. It is not uncommon for a particular soil to be a delicacy of pregnant women. Especially in some rural tropical areas and Africa. And traces of the soil-eating practice also remain in America.
The Culture of Earth-Eating is called Geophagy. And the phenomenon has nothing to do with hunger.
It is believed that almost every culture experienced a phrase of dirt eating. The practice can be traced to Native American Indians and inhabitants of West and Central Africa.
I agree with you.
Eating dirt: sweet, sour—whatever the taste, is weird.
But I liked it!
My sister and I ate sour dirt when we were children.
I can’t tell you why we did it other than—it tasted good!. But it wasn’t because we were poor or hungry.
We weren’t dirt eating fanatics. But we did enjoy the occasional sour-clay dig.
Our favorite clay bank was near Centerville Street in Greensboro, Alabama. The clay was pinkish red with white veins running throughout.
Clay is sticky and paste-like when wet. But smooth and crumbly when dry. And finding the most flavorful clay hill or bank was important.
I asked Momma if she ever ate sour dirt. She said she hated the stuff. But when she worked at the poultry company, women brought and distributed bags of baked clay.
You see. People cooked it and even seasoned the dirt with vinegar and salt.
So, who introduced my sister and me to the crave, I don’t know. Perhaps a neighborhood kid.
Thank God there aren’t any health problems related to eating dirt! But if you consume too much, you might get constipated.
Do I ever crave sour dirt?
No. I guess it was a childhood thing. A phase.
I told my Sister I was writing a blog about sour dirt. I asked her if she craved it. She said no. And added, she believes she ate it due to a vitamin deficiency.
Some references state the dirt has no nutritional value. But others say it does.
Believe it or not?
Sour dirt or clay is just one of several ingestible soils sold on the internet and in some small-town stores. Today, pregnant women in parts of Africa, the U.S. and other countries eat it for various reasons.
Eating dirt is My Dirty Truth.