Somerset House, London

For its UK debut, the Museum of Edible Earth comes to Somerset House, welcoming visitors to create a new relationship with geophagy and the practice of consuming earth for health, ritual, and culinary purposes. Created by artist and researcher masharu, this internationally touring museum presents a unique collection of edible clays, chalks, and mineral-rich soils from across the globe, offering a rare opportunity to experience earth through the senses.

Building on the exhibition SOIL: The World at Our Feet, the Museum of Edible Earth deepens the exploration of soil by focusing on geophagy, a longstanding global tradition. Founded in Amsterdam in 2017, the project functions as both a nomadic museum and an online research platform, documenting a growing collection of over 600 edible soil samples from 44 countries, including Armenia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Germany, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, and Nigeria. This combines geological research, cultural histories, and recorded tasting notes, the project invites audiences to engage with soil as a substance rich in flavour, texture, and meaning.

At the centre of the exhibition is a communal tasting table, where guided sessions will be held daily from 1–4pm. Visitors are welcome to sample the soil and clays from the museum’s collection, each accompanied by a card outlining flavour profiles, mineral composition, and cultural context. Guests are also encouraged to record their own impressions on compostable cards, contributing to a living, participatory archive.

More information: Somerset House