케냐의 식용 돌 ‘오도와’ Why Kenyan women crave stones(VIDEO)

source http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7596067.stm

edited by kcontents 

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아프리카 케냐에는 특별한 먹을거리가 있다. ‘오도와’라 불리는 돌은 케냐 여성들 사이에서 인기 만점 식료품이다.  케냐의 오후가 되면 주부들은 저녁 찬거리를 사기 위해 장으로 나선다. 좌판 위에는 각종 채소들이 진열돼 있다. 채소들 사이에 눈에 띄는 것이 하나. 바로 ‘오도와’라고 불리는 돌이다.  케냐 주부들은 돈을 주고 이 돌을 산다. 다른 찬거리는 사지 않고 돌만 사가지고 가는 여인도 있다. 케냐의 한 여인은 “이 돌은 정말 특별한 맛이 나요. 소다 같은 탄산음료 대신 이 돌을 먹어요. 목이 마를 때 물을 많이 먹는 것처럼 말이죠”라며 돌을 사가는 이유를 밝혔다. 저녁상에 올릴 반찬으로 돌을 사는 여인들. 좌판위에 먹기좋게 돌을 쪼개놓은 주인은 하루에 100여명의 손님이 돌을 사러 온다고 했다. 이뿐 아니라 ‘오도와’는 대형마트의 진열대에도 당당히 자리잡고 있다. 진열대의 돌들을 유심히 살피던 한 남자는 “아내에게 주려고요. 돌에 칼슘이 들어있거든요. 뼈를 강화하기 위해서 먹습니다. 특히 임신했을 때 말입니다” 라고 ‘오도와’에 대해 설명했다.  ‘오도와’가 만들어지는 곳은 벽돌용 돌을 캐는 채석장이다. 다른 가공처리 없이 단순히 부드러운 돌이면 식용으로 쓰는 것이다. 케냐 최대의 도매시장 기콤바. 이곳에서 불황을 모르는 상점은 바로 식용 돌 도매상점이다. 이곳 주인은 16년째 대를 이어 돌을 판매하고 있다. 나이로비 시내 뿐 아니라 외곽에서까지 돌을 구입하러 오는 소매상들만 해도 하루에 200여명에 달한다. 대규모 돌 도매상점은 기콤바 시장에만 여러 곳이 있다. 하루에 소비되는 돌만해도 수톤에 이른다. 케냐의 한 산부인과에서 1071명의 임산부들을 대상으로 조사한 결과 74%인 793명의 여성들이 거의 매일 돌이나 흙을 먹는 것으로 나타났다. 임산부뿐아니라 일반 여성들도 돌을 많이 찾는다. 케냐 여성들이 처음부터 돌을 먹은 것은 아니었다. 그들은 임신 중 부족한 철분을 보충하기 위해 먹기 시작했다가 아이를 낳은 후에도 돌 먹는 것을 멈출 수 없게 됐다고 말한다. 이제는 영양 섭취와 관계없이 돌을 먹는 것에 중독되고 말았다. 뉴스엔  서보현 zmsdodch@newsen.com

 

Why Kenyan women crave stones 

 

By Anne Mawathe  BBC News, Nairobi   Nancy Akoth is four months pregnant and like many women in her state has strange cravings.  Some women eat coal, gherkins or soap but Mrs Akoth craves soft stones, known in Kenya, where she lives, as "odowa".  "I just have this urge to eat these stones. I do very crazy things, I would even wake up at night and go looking for them," she told the BBC.  "I consulted my doctor and all he told me is that maybe I'm lacking iron and gave me medication on iron, but I still have the urge to eat those stones."  Luckily for Mrs Akoth, she is not alone in craving stones and they are easily found on sale in Nairobi's sprawling Gikomba market.  Among the fish-mongers and dealers in second-hand goods who flock to the market are traders who specialise in odowa.  Stone-seller Stephen Ndirangu unsurprisingly says women are his main customers.  "Most of them buy the stones to go and sell them to women who are pregnant," Mr Ndirangu says.  He says he sells one 90kg sack for about $6.  'Pleasant taste'  Although they are stones, they are too soft to break the teeth of Mrs Akoth and her fellow cravers.  Nutritionist Alice Ndong says the stones have a bland taste.  "It's a pleasant taste. It doesn't have a tangy flavour or a salty or a sugary flavour. It's a bit like eating flour," she told the BBC.  She says that because of their abrasive nature, the stones actually clean the teeth as the stone is chewed and the finer particles pass through the mouth.  However, she warns this should not be used as an excuse to eat the stones as the habit can also have harmful consequences.  "If somebody eats those stones and they don't take enough water, then they will actually get severe constipation… It can actually be very dangerous," she says.  "It can actually cause things like kidney damage and liver damage, if you don't take enough fluid because it will form a mass that cannot be excreted."  "When you eat these stones, it's like eating metal. The particles - because it's not food - are not digested as finely as fruits or vegetables," she says.  'Irresistible'  The phenomenon of craving non-food items like soil or soft stones is referred to as pica, a Latin word for magpie, the bird notorious for eating almost anything.  Researchers from the University of Nigeria interviewed 1,071 pregnant women attending a prenatal clinic at the Pumwani Maternity Hospital in Nairobi.  At least 800 of those interviewed said they ate soil, stones and other non-food items during their pregnancy.  But it is not only those who are pregnant who indulge in this habit.  Sylvia Moi still finds the soft stones irresistible, 14 years after she gave birth.  "I cannot do without it... Walking without it makes me feel bad, as if I'm lacking something [or] I'm hungry," Mrs Moi says.  She says she would like to quit the habit but just cannot stop herself.  "When you eat it you look awkward, people think: 'What is it that you lack in you that makes you eat that awkward stone,'" she says.  Infection  Experts say that the craving to eat odowa is largely due to a deficiency of vital minerals, like calcium, in the body.  "Unfortunately, these stones don't offer a lot of calcium. They offer some other forms of minerals like magnesium but not much calcium," says Mrs Ndong.  Research shows that these habits have negative side-effects on the women's health, ranging from parasitic infestations, anaemia and intestinal complications  "The problem with these stones is sometimes they're not hygienic. I remember up-country I've seen people just go somewhere, dig up and maybe people urinate in that spot," she says.  Experts warn pregnant women and others who enjoy eating odowa to try to ignore these cravings for the sake of their health.  The researchers say that the women are better off eating a balanced diet, than remaining hooked to the myth that their changing bodies need soft stones and soil.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7596067.stm

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