Ampo is a food made of

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...

originating from

Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...

and

East Java East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

and eaten as a snack or light meal. Ampo, Camilan dari Tanah Liat
indosiar.com
Ampo, Snack Made By Soil. Do You Believe It
hubpages.com
/ref>Think twice before you say e
2013 Flavor Boulevard
/ref> It consists of pure clay, without any mixture of ingredients.

Characteristics and preparation

Ampo is made from gravel-free dark earth that is formed into thin spiral strips, then baked and smoked in a large clay pot for a half hour before serving. A wooden stick is used to beat the soil into a solid hard substance, where these spirals of dirt are removed with a dagger made of bamboo. Methods and production are passed on from generationally and the taste differs based on the quality of the soil. Ampo is said to have a ''cool'' and ''creamy'' texture.

Habit

Ampo is revered by the native women who are pregnant. This habit of eating clay is also known as

geophagy Geophagia (), also known as geophagy (), is the intentional practice of eating earth or soil-like substances such as clay, chalk, or termite mounds. It is a behavioural adaptation that occurs in many non-human animals and has been documented in ...

. Human geophagy may be related to pica, a classified eating disorder in the DSM-IV characterized by abnormal cravings for nonfood items. Many people from various countries across the world have the habit, although most of the countries that have the habit of eating clay never admit it. NEWS & FEATURES / HEALTH CONCERN - ARTIKEL - Kompas.com Sera Young from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States, study about ''

''.

Impact on health

Ampo has become a traditional food that is trusted by the people in the island of Java, especially people in

and

. It is believed to strengthen the digestive system. It is also believed to be a drug that can treat several kinds of diseases.Unik Aneh
Ampo, Makanan Khas Tuban yang Terbuat dari Tanah Liat
/ref>

Health benefits

In a ''Science Digest'' article (

Paraquat Paraquat (trivial name; ), or ''N'',''N''′-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride (systematic name), also known as methyl viologen, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H7N)2l2. It is classified as a viologen, a family of redox ...

: a Potent Weed Killer is Killing PeopleRevkin, A. C. 1983. Paraquat: A potent weed killer is killing people. Science Digest 91(6):36-38, 42, 100-104.), it is recommended that a paraquat poisoning victim promptly swallow dirt, even at the risk of salmonella, because paraquat is deactivated upon contact with soil. Otherwise, a sufficiently lethal dose would cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and especially the lungs, usually causing death by asphyxiation by causing severe fibrosis. Lung transplants in two victims merely delayed their deaths because chemical levels still in their bodies subsequently damaged the transplanted lungs, too. There is some evidence that supports the usefulness of the

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

found in soil. It has been suggested that it is useful in the establishment of healthy bacteria within the digestive tract, addressing the problems presented by

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distension ...

. The adsorbent qualities of clay have been demonstrated to cause the lining of the vertebrate gut to change both on a cellular and acellular level, potentially protecting the gut from chemical insults as well as alleviating ailments such as

esophagitis Esophagitis, also spelled oesophagitis, is a disease characterized by inflammation of the esophagus. The esophagus is a tube composed of a mucosal lining, and longitudinal and circular smooth muscle fibers. It connects the pharynx to the stomach; s ...

, gastritis, and colitis.

Health risks

There are obvious risks in the consumption of ampo and clay that is contaminated by animal or human

feces Feces ( or faeces), known colloquially and in slang as poo and poop, are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the large intestine. Feces contain a relati ...

; in particular,

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

eggs, such as roundworms, that can stay dormant for years, can present a problem. Tetanus poses a further risk. Nevertheless, these risks are generally well understood by most tribal populations that engage in geophagy, hence 'clean' earth from below the surface level is sought out. Children's predilection to engage in geophagy makes them more susceptible to worm infestations. Other dangers associated with geophagia include damage to tooth enamel, the ingestion of a variety of

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

, various forms of soil contamination, and intestinal obstruction. In the traditional societies, producing ampo by heat-treat (bake) the earth before consumption, and this tends to mitigate the risks to some extent. There is a psychological hypothesis, which is centred on the cravings reported by clay eaters. Researchers' attention was directed mainly towards pregnant and postpartum women and their emotional states. Geophagy was attributed to feelings of misery, homesickness, depression, and alienation.

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Dirt as FoodHealth A to Z - Pica
Central Java culture East Java culture Pica (disorder) Sediments Snack foods Indonesian cuisine