Eating Dirt (aka Geophagy)

Eveline, our downstairs' neighbour, trying out the soil cigar

On my way home, I stopped to pick up a couple of potatoes from a roadside stall. As I tested out my newly acquired Swahili, the proprietor placed a blue, plastic shopping bag in front of me. Intrigued, I peered into the bag to see what looked like some sort of exotic root vegetable. My initial guess at the contents of the bag was wrong, it was actually 40 or so tightly compacted, cigar-shaped pieces of soil. The first thought that crossed my mind was why would someone want to sell me pieces of soil, which is exactly what I asked the proprietor. Obviously, I was wearing a very unflattering outfit that day, as the guy thought I was pregnant and wanted to sell me soil to eat. Good, old google indicates that the practice of pregnant women eating soil for its mineral content is somewhat widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa. It’s kind of like taking a supplement. There is a theory that the dirt helps boost a pregnant woman’s immune system. This is also not just any old soil, it has to be a certain type of soil and it comes from locations that are known for their high quality soil. At Tsh50 a pop, I bought one cigar of soil and was on my way. Cristiano, Wes and I each took a nibble of the cigar later that night, only to find that it tasted distinctly of dirt. I’m not sure why we were surprised.