(Don't try this at home.)

​

​There are still some European farmers,  particularly in parts of the continent where families have tilled the same soil for many generations, who follow older rural traditions in determining the quality of their soil.   Long before soil testing kits were invented, our agrarian ancestors used to taste it— much like sommeliers who assess the quality of a wine by sniffing it, swirling it around in their mouths and even chewing it, before usually spitting it out. 

​

It is unclear just how widespread this practice currently is.  But there are various websites, particularly in the USA, which provide more details.  Just Google ‘Tasting Soil’ for a start and you'll discover that Laura Parker, a "food and agricultural artist" in San Francisco offers soil tasting seminars, along the lines of wine tasting sessions. 
 

If you have the palate for it, an alkaline soil (pH at 7 or more) should taste sweet (therefore good for members of the brassica (cabbage) family; whereas an acidic soil (pH less than 7) tastes more tart or sour (and therefore good for plants like raspberries).  But it can get more complicated.
 

William Bryant quotes the organic pioneer Bill Wolf on the soil-tasting experience:  "A very acid soil would crackle [in the mouth] like those sour candies that kids eat and it had the sharp taste of a citrus drink. A neutral soil didn’t fizz, and it had the odour and flavour of the soil’s humus, caused by little creatures called actinomycetes. An alkaline soil tasted chalky and coated the tongue." (see http://www.ediblegeography.com/sweet-and-sour-soils/)

​
Confused?  So am I.

 
However, there are even top-quality restaurants around the world who have entrees like ‘radishes in their own soil’.  This was an appetizer in Noma, in Copenhagen, considered one of the best restaurants in the world.

So whether the phenomenon of ‘eating soil’ is a dying tradition (most doctors will tell you that in fact soil eating is dangerous to your health) or a gardening practice that is on the increase, is anyone’s guess.  But for now, ask an experienced gardener about the quality of your soil, or buy a cheap soil tester.  Don’t try to be a soil sommelier.

 

​

​

​

​