Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-04-24
MistrIIamepus.

CLAY-EATING.-A writer in the "FOod
Journal,n discoursing OH strange dishes,
communicates some interesting notes as to
the employment and mode of preparation
of that strangest of all edible substances,
clay. Humboldt, on the 9th of June, 1900,
spent day at a station occupied by the
Otomass, tribe of clay eaters on, the Oro-
noco He describes the earth eaten by
them as an unctuous, almost tasteless clay,
true potters' earth. This is carefully pick
ed, and kneeded into balls of from four to
six inches in diameter, which are then
baked before a slow Ire, until the outer
surface becomes of a reddish color. The
earth is said to possess different kinds of
flavor, and it is selected by the palate al
most as carefully as our more dainty pro-
visions. Before being eaten the balls are
moistened with water. The Otomacs,
however, do not appear to adopt this arti-
Gle Of food from choice, nor do they eat it
the whole year round. When the waters
of the Oronoco and Meta are low they sub
sist on turtles and fish but during the pc
riodical swelling of these rivers the Oto-
macs devour enormous quantities of clay
balls, which are kept piled. up in heaps in
their huts. Humboldt was informed that
an Indian woI1d consume from three-quar-
tiers TO one ahd onc-quarter pound Of this
food daily, without any appreciable injury
to health.
The Otomacs are by no means singular
in their adoption of earth as an article of
food, for the same practice prevails among
several other tribes, chiefly in the tropics.
1t is stated by Humboldt and other trave-
lers that the women employed in the small
village of Bauco, on the Magdalena, in
burning earthenware pots, continually fill
their mouths with large Jumps of clay. At
San Roja an Indian child was observed
which, according to the statement of its
mother, would hardly eat anything but
earth. The negroes of Guinea are also in
the habit of eating yellowish kind of earth
called cdouoc. While the slave trade be-
tween Africa and the West Indies was in
existence, these negroes on their arrival at
the plantations, would endeavOr to procure
some similar species of food, maintaining
that the earth they deyoured was harm
less. 1t was found. however, that the
caoudc of the West Indies had delete
rious effect on the health of those partaKing
Of it, and its use was strictly forbidden.
In Java the same practice prevails. In
1S47 some edible clay was sent for analysis
from Samarang to Berlin, and was found
to be a fresh-wateI formation deposited in
tertiary limestone, and composed mostly Of
animalcules. According to Labilardiere,
the natives of New Caledonia eat Jumps of
Il friable kind o! soapstone, i'll which Nau-
Uuelin detected certain quantity of cop
per. Among some northern races. too,
clay eating prevails. \ careful analysis OF
the earth food of the Laplanders showed
that it contains a large portion of organic
matter from the crlriG of infusorial AMI
mails. Among the lower animals the earth
worm, and some others, are known to feed
upon earth; and the SpdntdnquS (heart ur-
chin .4renicoIa (sandworm) Gil their stO-
machs with sand. The chief use of clay in
the human economy would appear to be
for producing 4 distention of the walls OF
the stomach, which seems to allay the pangs
of hunger. GdldTU.