Mud cookie
Haitian food
title: "Mud cookie" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["haitian-cuisine", "geophagia"] description: "Haitian food" topic_path: "general/haitian-cuisine" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mud_cookie" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Haitian food ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox food"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Mud cookie |
| image | Haitian Dirt Biscuits.jpg |
| caption | Mud cookies being prepared |
| place_of_origin | Haiti |
| main_ingredient | {{Plainlist |
| minor_ingredient | {{Plainlist |
| no_recipes | false |
| alternate_name | ht |
| :: |
| name = Mud cookie | name_lang = | image = Haitian Dirt Biscuits.jpg | caption = Mud cookies being prepared | place_of_origin = Haiti | main_ingredient = {{Plainlist|
- Dirt
- Fat | minor_ingredient = {{Plainlist|
- Vegetables
- Salt | no_recipes = false | alternate_name = ht ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Mud_cookies.jpg" caption="Mud cookies drying in the sun"] ::
A mud cookie (, ) is a famine food that is eaten in Haiti by children or expectant mothers. They can be found in slums like Cité Soleil. Dirt is collected from the nation's central plateau, near the town of Hinche, and trucked over to the market (e.g. La Saline market) where women purchase it. It is processed into cookies in shanty towns such as Fort Dimanche. First, the dirt is strained to remove rocks and clumps. Then, the dirt is mixed with salt (and/or rarely sugar) and vegetable shortening or other fat. Next, it is formed into flat discs, and dried in the sun. The finished product is finally transported in buckets and sold in the market or on the streets.
Due to their mineral content, mud cookies were traditionally used as a dietary supplement for pregnant women and children. Many Haitians believe they contain calcium which could be used as an antacid and for nutrition, but this is disputed by doctors who warn of tooth decay, constipation, and other complications.
The taste has been described as having a smooth consistency that immediately dries the mouth, with a pungent aftertaste of dirt that lingers for hours.
References
References
- (19 Feb 2009). "Haitians eat dirt cookies to survive". [[WNET]].
- Clammer, P.. (2016). "Haiti". Bradt Travel Guides.
- (2011). "Democracy in What State?". Columbia University Press.
- (2008-02-03). "Poor Haitians on a mud diet".
- Nevins, D.. (2015). "Haiti: Third Edition". Cavendish Square.
- (2014). "Feeding Frenzy: Land Grabs, Price Spikes, and the World Food Crisis". Greystone Books.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::