Bucarophagy: from those muds, these sludges

Bucarophagia is the habit of consuming cooked clay. The ingestion of this mud was carried out in small pieces or crushed into powder. Although there is documentation about the consumption of clay in other countries since the 10th century, in Spain this custom dates back much later, becoming fashionable among the ladies of the court in the 17th century.

The historian Natacha Seseña, specialized in the ethnographic field of pottery, points out that this habit came to Spain through the Moors. The mud, of intense red color, It was cooked and shaped into small vessels or jars that the ladies filled with scented water and after consuming the contents, they swallowed the glass.. These “delicacies” were imported from other countries such as Portugal or Mexico.

The medicinal practice of eating clay has existed since ancient times, but the ingestion of búcaros (baked clay vessels) in small pieces or powder is a peculiar issue.

Documentary records on bucarophagia

References to the consumption of búcaros and their properties are continuous in all arts, highlighting especially in literature:

“Girl of broken color, either you have love or you eat mud“by Góngora.”What do you have in that little bag?…Some pieces of búcaro that my wife eats; You can eat them well, they have amber” of the work The Dorotea by Lope de Vega.”To Amarili who had some pieces of búcaro in her mouth and was very close to eating them” by Quevedo.

In painting, the most significant reference is found in the painting “Las Meninas” by Velazquez.. In it you can see how the Infanta Margarita is offered a bucaro that rests on a thin tray, possibly to cool off, responding precisely to the model that at the time was intended for bucarophagy. Being knowledgeable about the subject, some scholars interpret the paleness of the infanta’s face with a habitual behavior of consumption of baked clay.

What is the purpose pursued by consuming these baked clay pots?

In Spain during the Golden Age, The prototype of beauty required maintaining a whitish skin tone, with an almost sickly appearance; ingestion of cooked clay causes chlorosis with the consequent decrease in red blood cells and, consequently, that appearance of intense paleness.

Another of the properties that were attributed to the ingestion of this ceramic clay was its use as a method contraception, since intestinal obstruction or opilation causes menstrual flow to decrease or disappear. The hallucinogenic and narcotic effects of the various components of the vessels caused a dependence on this drug in the women of the time, making it very difficult to abandon this habit of consumption.

Does bucarophagy exist in the 21st century?

Although bucarophagia, that is, the consumption of small clay vessels, was diluted over time, like so many other fashions, we can say that today Clay consumption is once again a trendadministered both internally, that is, by oral ingestion, or externally, in the form of a poultice.

We find it on the market crushed into powder and cleaned of impurities and sand (since if the clay is not previously treated for consumption it may contain elements such as lead or arsenic, very harmful to our health). Thus, there are very different opinions between supporters and detractors of clay consumption in our society:

Psychologists classify clay consumption as a type of “addictive eating disorder” in which there is an irresistible desire to eat non-nutritious substances.Doctors warn of the danger of consuming clay and they label it a “fad” without proven scientific explanation. Although it is true that in some tropical and African countries the consumption of clay is common due to the lack of some mineral, in a healthy and balanced diet it can cause irreversible damage to the body.Actresses, bloggers or celebrities in general declare their “addiction” to clay consumption and they expose on social networks the benefits of consuming it, attributing incredible therapeutic properties to it, stating, for example, that it helps detoxify the body, promotes weight loss and combats anemia.

Be that as it may, the debate is served. Clay consumption… Is it beneficial or harmful? Is it healthy or addictive? Body cult or media spectacle? If you are interested in this new trend, It is best to consult with your family doctor before consuming clay. without control, thus avoiding causing health problems in your body.

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