Skip to main content

Search from vocabulary

Content language

Concept information

Preferred term

geophagy  

Definition

  • Geophagy, literally “earth eating,” also known as pica (technically the consumption of all inappropriate materials), is the practice of consuming dirt, typically clays. Geophagy may be practiced for either health or religious reasons. Devout Christians and Muslims have engaged in ritualized forms of geophagy for centuries, typically in the form of wafers ostensibly derived from holy sites. [Source: Encyclopedia of Geography; Geophagy]

Broader concept

Belongs to group

URI

https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/geophagy

Download this concept: