Filter

WHY?

WHERE?

Social Media
Fb Ig
  • pl
  • Why: Inflation Where: Haiti

    Mud Cookies

    INGREDIENTS

    • Clay (edible clay from the Central Plateau)
    • Water
    • Salt
    • Vegetable fat (oil or margarine)

    PREPARATION

    Add water to the clay until it becomes a mushy consistency. Filter the mixture through an old piece of cloth to remove impurities like twigs, stones, or dead insects. Add a bit of salt and fat, if available. Shape the mixture into small cakes and leave them out in the strong sun to “bake.”

    According to the UN, two-thirds of Haitians live on 50 pence (about 2 złoty) a day, and half of the population is malnourished. People cannot afford what is sold in stores. From 2006 to 2008, food shortages became a global reality.

    In Haiti, the best land is occupied by cocoa, sugarcane, and cattle feed farms. The crops from these farms are exported, while the poorest soils in mountainous regions are farmed by starving peasants. The doubling of rice prices led to widespread hunger and increased production of “mud cookies.” Even the producers of these cookies struggle to survive. Clay is becoming more expensive, yet the cookies still sell for 1.3 pence (about 5 groszy) each. “We should raise prices, but for many people, these cookies are the last resort,” complains producer Marie-Carmelle Baptiste. “They help stave off hunger. We eat them when we have nothing else.” It’s not about taste or nutritional value. A bit of salt and margarine doesn’t change the fact that it’s essentially just dirt, the taste of which lingers long after. Yet, it’s the only food and the primary source of income for the residents of Cite Soleil, one of the poorest slums in Port-au-Prince.

    Photos: www.nation.africa

    Dodaj przepis