laitimes

A country poor enough to eat soil - Haiti

author:Paper Balls

Welcome to the paper game, welcome to the series of articles "The world is so big, I want to see it", and then Xiaobian will take you to see another life in the world. The country introduced today is Haiti.

A country poor enough to eat soil - Haiti

The world's first independent black republic.

Haiti, located in the western part of Hispaniola (Haitian Island) in the Caribbean Sea, covers an area of about 27,800 square kilometers. It is bordered by the Dominican Republic to the east, the Caribbean Sea to the south, the Atlantic Ocean to the north, and Cuba and Jamaica to the west across the strait. Because 3/4 of the whole territory is mountainous, "Haiti" means "mountainous country" in Indian language, and it is located on the Pacific Rim seismic belt, and volcanic earthquakes are frequent.

A country poor enough to eat soil - Haiti

As an independent country from the French possessions, its capital is in Port-au-Prince. It was the first country to gain independence from Lebihai to the Latin American continent, and the only independent country with a predominantly French-speaking language. As the "world's first black republic", the country's black population accounts for 95%, so it is also known as the "Caribbean black country".

One of the poorest countries in the world.

Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, has a domestic economy dominated by primary production and is heavily dependent on foreign aid. In 2020, the per capita GDP was only 800 US dollars, 70% of citizens did not have regular jobs, 60% were illiterate, more than 75% of citizens were in extreme poverty, and the average life expectancy was less than 64 years, ranking 169th among the 189 member states of the United Nations. Hunger and poverty are Haiti's external labels. An American journalist once talked to a "businessman" that after some "haggling", he could buy an 11-year-old girl for only $150.

Countries that are poor enough to eat soil

The most obvious of these is the earthen biscuits that can be found everywhere in the market, which is not the soil that most people joke about, but the soil used in the field for cultivation. One of the poorest countries in the world, Haitians are really poor enough to eat soil.

A country poor enough to eat soil - Haiti

The mud they eat is a bentonite, the main component is "montmorillonite", as a clay mineral, more common in the treatment of diarrhea, the color is mostly white, yellow-green. It is viscous, with the characteristics of water absorption expansion and dehydration and shrinkage. Although poor enough to eat soil, this soil still needs to be mined from the mines, and it also needs to be purchased with money. In addition to supplementing minerals, there are no other nutrients.

This mud biscuit absorbs water and swells after eating it, giving people a strong feeling of fullness, so it has become a staple food for Haitians. When Haitians have no food, they will add water to stir this mud into a mud slurry, and then add a small amount of cooking oil, salt and sugar to the mud to make the soil taste a little more flavorful, and finally make the mud into round cakes one by one, put them under the sun to dry, so as to make the so-called "dirt biscuits", eat this mud biscuits when hungry to fill their hunger. After eating too much of this mineral soil, not to mention that it will lead to malnutrition, it will also block the intestines, resulting in poor bowel movements, and eventually leading to swelling and death. The soil that has not been specially treated contains too many parasites, pathogenic bacteria and unknown harmful substances, which will bring a series of health problems.

A country poor enough to eat soil - Haiti

Although there is also a folk food for Guanyin soil in the year of drought, it is also sad to really see people eating day by day. I also feel that "saving food is everyone's responsibility" is no longer just a slogan.

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