Across Alabama and the wider South, some people eat white dirt.
They may call it white dirt, chalk, kaolin, sour dirt, red dirt, or simply “dirt.” Some enjoy its earthy smell, smooth texture, or distinctive taste. Others reach for it when they have an upset stomach, during pregnancy, or when they feel a craving that is difficult to describe to someone who has never experienced it. For some families, eating white dirt is an old and familiar practice. For others, it is something done privately because they worry about how people might react.
Researchers at The University of Alabama want to learn from the people who know this tradition firsthand.
“People sometimes assume that eating clay is strange or unique to one particular group, but humans have consumed clay and soil in many parts of the world for thousands of years,” said Dr. Christopher Lynn, an anthropologist at The University of Alabama. “It is an ancient human practice, and it deserves to be understood without ridicule or judgment.”
The scientific name for eating earth or clay is “geophagy.” The practice has been documented in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and elsewhere. It also appears in historical accounts and family traditions across the American South. Clay has been used as a folk remedy, especially for stomach discomfort, and kaolin was once an ingredient in some commercial stomach medicines like Kaopectate and Pepto-Bismal. In 2013, director Adam Forrester produced the documentary Eat White Dirt about this practice in the US Southeast, which can be found on YouTube.
Not all people eat white dirt for the same reason, however. Some describe it as a remedy. Some associate it with pregnancy or an iron deficiency. Some simply like the flavor, smell, or feeling of it. Others say that a particular smell—freshly turned soil, rain on dry ground, a basement, or even concrete—can bring on a craving.
Researchers still have many questions about the practice. They do not yet know how common it is, how people learn about it, where people obtain their preferred clay, or why different varieties appeal to different people. They also do not know enough about the mineral content of white dirt sold or gathered in different locations.
That is why Lynn and his colleagues have begun the Kaolin-Linked Appetites and Edibles project, or KLAE. The project brings together anthropologists, archaeologists, geologists, and health researchers to study white dirt in Alabama and throughout the Black Belt.
The researchers are interviewing adults who currently eat white dirt or have eaten it in the past. They are interested in people’s own experiences: when they first tried it, who introduced them to it, where they obtain it, what a good piece tastes or smells like, how they prepare it, what place it has in their lives, and how it affects them.
There are no “right” answers, and participants will not be asked to defend or justify the practice.
“We are not looking for people so we can tell them that they should or should not eat white dirt,” Lynn explained. “First, we need to listen. People who actually eat it possess knowledge that researchers and healthcare providers often lack.”
That knowledge can be difficult to gather because white dirt eating has frequently been portrayed in insulting or sensational ways. People may keep it private even when the practice is common within their families or communities. The research team hopes to replace those stereotypes with a fuller account of Southern foodways, household remedies, cravings, and local knowledge.
The researchers are also studying samples of white dirt, sour dirt, red dirt, and other edible clays. Clay from different sources can have very different mineral compositions. Learning where a sample comes from and how it is prepared may eventually help researchers better understand both its possible effects and any potential concerns. The team is not assuming that every kind of white dirt is the same—or that every person’s experience is the same.
Participation in the study is confidential. The researchers will not publish participants’ names or identifying information without specific permission. Participants may decline any question, and taking part is entirely voluntary.
Adults who currently eat white dirt, sour dirt, kaolin, chalk, or another clay—or who have done so in the past—are invited to contact the research team. Vendors and people who know where white dirt is gathered or sold are also encouraged to get in touch.
The interview takes approximately 15-30 minutes and can be conducted in person or online. Participants receive $20 in appreciation for their time.
To learn more, text Dr. Lynn at 917-607-6291 or email cdlynn@ua.edu. Texting or asking for information does not obligate anyone to participate.
“You do not have to be embarrassed, and you do not have to consider yourself unusual,” Lynn says. “Whether white dirt is a remedy, a craving, a favorite taste, a family tradition, or something else entirely, we would like to hear your story.”
