In Haiti, there is an unusual dish - mud cakes. For most of the country's population, they constitute the main part of the diet, if not the only one. 
Flatbreads are dried in the open air
They are not tasty, are difficult to chew and can even be hazardous to health.
So why do Haitians eat mud cakes all the time?
How do they live in Haiti?
Haiti is considered the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. More than half of Haitians cannot spend more than $2 per day. Many are malnourished. 
Beach in Haiti. Such beauty contrasts with the poverty in the country
Every year, food prices in Haiti rise, and more and more residents cannot afford anything other than mud cakes. Even cereals are an unaffordable luxury for most Haitians. Poverty is rampant in the country, and the only way out for the locals is to eat this kind of “food.”
How are flatbreads prepared?
The cakes are made from yellow clay, which is collected from the central plateau region. Bakers buy clay mud just like any other product, so local residents even have to pay extra for cakes. The largest flatbread factory is located on the roof of an abandoned prison. 
A Haitian woman eats a mud cake. Poor locals are forced to eat them due to poverty
To make the dough, yellow clay is mixed with water and salt. It happens that margarine, vegetable shortening and leftovers are added to it, but this happens extremely rarely. Then the next day the dough is laid out in small circles under the sun to dry. Baking the clay will not work, as it will become hard and impossible to eat.
How do you eat clay cakes?
The dish turns out tasteless and dense, but cheap. It works out to only 5 cents per scone. Even some of Haiti's poorest residents can spend this amount. Eating flatbread is difficult, but possible. When it gets into your mouth it softens a little. Clay makes you feel full, which is the only thing Haitians need to avoid starvation.
Clay contains calcium and some antacids. The latter help with ailments associated with the gastrointestinal tract. Some Haitians believe that such flatbreads are healthy, but there is no scientific evidence to support this. In addition to useful elements, clay also contains harmful ones. Dirt can contain harmful bacteria, toxins and parasites that negatively affect the body.
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