What is eating sour dirt?

Answer 1

Yes. Many people in the south eat sour dirt or clay dirt. The dirt is dug from deep enough in the ground that it should not be contaminated. I eat it every day and have done so for the past 11 years.

Answer 2

I have run across older coworkers who spoke about the practice of eating sour dirt. It started as a practice in rural Africa as a way to meet the mineral needs of pregnant women who didn't have access to vitamins. well, the practice caught on quickly as rural people living in the south found the benefit it added to nutrition. quickly, it became a custom. as the habit became more widespread, people found that soil with a high clay content from certain areas had a sour flavor; this was the byproduct of a fungal process. so a tradition that started as a form of folk medicine, became a custom of culinary heritage. this continued, quietly for quite some time in out of the way, country communities.

It has only recently (one generation) lost favor as the idea became viewed as backward or unscientific. I have even seen sour dirt sold at small, independent shops and open air markets. however, as our culture evolves more and more into a trendy spin off of the things seen on t.v., it seems unavoidable that the old wisdom of country healers will be lost entirely.

Answer 3

You can but it will make you ill.