African Mud Cookies: A Bizarre Haitian Food for Pregnant Women & Children

African mud cookies, also known as galettes or bonbon tè in Haitian Creole, are a common delicacy there, especially during pregnancy. From the country's central plateau, close to the town of Hinche, dirt is gathered and trucked to the market, where women buy it.

Women have developed a liking for eating dirt and clay all over South Africa, and as a result, street sellers are now selling packets of soil alongside their usual wares.

The poorest people in Haiti are unable to buy a daily meal of rice due to rising food prices, and some resort to desperate means to feed themselves.

Pregnant women and kids in this area have traditionally valued African mud cookies as an antacid and calcium source.

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Why Do African Women Eat African Mud Cookies?

As more oil is required for transportation, irrigation, and fertilizer, food prices have increased globally. The cost of staple components like corn and wheat has also increased significantly, and food markets are being pressured by the rising demand for biofuels on a global scale.

The situation is particularly bad in the Caribbean, where island nations rely on imports, and food costs have increased in some areas.

African mud cookies are a last resort for poor people in Haiti. (Image via Pexels/ Julia Volk)

Clay cravings are more common in pregnant and nursing women, however eating clay is a common practice in South Africa and its neighbors. The sellers of packeted dirt claim that without it, their consumers "go crazy" and get despondent or irate when supplies run out.

According to some sources, iron and mineral shortages are the cause of soil addiction, which is a health condition that is treatable.

Many pregnant women experienced iron deficiency and began eating soil as a result. However, if they consume dirt, they could have worm infestations or other parasitic and bacterial illnesses.

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Health Effects of African Mud Cookies

Well, these African mud cookies aren't good for your health, but alas, there isn't much of a choice for the people of Haiti. Many Haitians are compelled to build their own food out of the mud by adding butter and salt to make the snack more tolerable because food is expensive and scarce. If available, sugar may be used in some situations.

As one might expect, these "dirt cookies" are essentially nutritionally worthless. That's not ideal, considering that the nation already has the highest rate of under-five mortality in the Western Hemisphere. Eating dirt won't help much when it comes to Haiti's major mortality problems with respiratory illnesses, TB, and diarrhea.

In the best-case scenario, these mud biscuits will strengthen Haitians' weakened immune systems.

Clay cravings are more common in pregnant and nursing women in Africa. (Image via Pexels/ Rufaro Makaya)

At worst, though, consuming soil can exacerbate an existing illness. Haiti's water supply is frequently tainted. Naturally, this water will be consumed as well as seeping into the ground.

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These Haitians must eat African mud cookies to survive since they cannot afford to buy or grow their own food. You really did hear it correctly! Mud, salt, and vegetable oil are combined, and the mixture is used to bake cookies.

These African mud cookies are consumed by pregnant women to supply their bodies with the calcium they need.

Although they are lousy substitutes for food, they have been getting by on nothing but dirt for years.