Nigeria – NG015A
Composition: Soft rock
Colour: Grey
Shape: Raw
It is minty, which vanishes very quickly. Then it is like paper. It is first hard, then it gets soft after it is in your mouth for a while.
This sample was obtained in an African shop in Amsterdam Bijlmer in 2022. The price was 12 euro per kilo. It was lying unlabelled in a plastic box on a bottom shelf. Seller did not want to provide information about it, apart from the fact that it is used for skincare. In this shop it was thus not officially labelled as edible.
More similar soft rocks are a part of the collection of the Museum of Edible Earth. They are known as eko and were obtained in 2019 during the trip to Nigeria. Eko is sold on the markets across the country primarily for the purpose of eating. Usually it is smoked, which is also the reason why the surface is slightly glazed. According to the article by S.E. Owumia and A.K. Oyelereb, eko is commonly eaten in Nigeria to control nausea during pregnancy. It is also sold on several internet platforms such as Amazon and Etsy. Obviously, it is sold for the purpose of consumption, as the majority of the descriptions focus on the taste of eco.
According to the article by S.E. Owumia and A.K. Oyelereb consumption of eko must be discouraged, as there might be high levels of aluminium present in it. This might have an impact on health and fetal development.
Sources:
‘Determination of metal ion contents of two antiemetic clays use in Geophagy’, Toxicology Reports, volume 2, by S.E. Owumia and A.K. Oyelereb, pages 928-932, 2015
cinnamon, spicy, sweet