Podcast Summary

Podcast: Todo Concostrina
Host: SER Podcast
Episode: Acontece que no es poco | Bucarofagia
Date: January 31, 2024
Host: Nieves Concostrina

Overview: Main Theme

In this episode, Nieves Concostrina explores the peculiar, forgotten historical phenomenon of bucarofagia—the fashionable (and dangerous) custom among noblewomen in 17th-century Madrid of eating clay vessels ("búcaros") to achieve a pale complexion or for supposed health benefits. The discussion combines historical curiosity, medical misconceptions, and social commentary, all with Nieves’s characteristic humor and irreverence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. La Inagotable Capacidad de Sorpresa Humana

• Opening Reflection ([00:15])
  The host remarks on humanity’s endless capacity to be surprised by our own ignorance:

  “La capacidad de sorpresa del ser humano es inagotable. Tiene que ver con nuestra propia ignorancia…”
  This sets the tone for a discussion about a little-known practice: eating clay.

2. ¿Qué es la Bucarofagia? ([01:00])

• Historical Context
  • No specific date, but prevalent in 17th-century Spain.
  • A dietary extravagance: eating pottery made of clay to appear paler ('Fagia' = eating).
• Motivation for the Practice
  • Noble women in Madrid, “las Cayetanas”, ate clay (specifically, búcaros—small red clay jugs) to maintain a fashionably pale complexion that “gustar al mozo” (to attract suitors).
  • Nieves relates it to modern diet fads:

    “…esto de seguir una dieta de moda viene de antiguo. Y hoy hablamos de la moda de comer barro, de la bucarofagia. Yo todavía te digo de verdad que no sé cómo no nos hemos extinguido.” ([02:28])

3. El Origen de la Palabra y la Práctica ([03:52])

• Búcaro:
  • A type of red clay used for water vessels which kept water fresh and flavored.
  • “Bucarofagia” as a term was coined by art historian Natacha Seseña.
• Description in Literature & Art
  • The phrase:

    “De niña del color quebrado, o tienes amor o comes barro.” ([05:08])
    (A pale girl: either from heartbreak or eating clay)

  • Example in Velázquez’s "Las Meninas":
    The Infanta Margarita is handed a tiny clay vessel, interpreted by scholars as a reference to this practice.

4. Motivos y Consecuencias Médicas ([05:54])

• Medical Motives
  • For young children (like Infanta Margarita), sometimes for treating iron deficiency (anemia ferropénica), due to the iron content in clay.
  • For older youths/adult women, a self-prescribed method to achieve paleness—a marker of beauty.
• Health Effects
  • The clay diet led to serious issues: anemia, liver damage, obstructions (“opilación”), altered menstruation, dental problems, and chronic constipation.
  • Nieves, with irony:

    "Ellas creían que estaban monísimas porque tenían la tez pálida, pero también estaban estreñidas y acababan con la dentadura hecha polvo. Esto, o sea, todo mal." ([08:49])

5. Mercado y Diversión: El Búcaro Consumible ([08:27])

• Market Adaptation
  • Artisans began mixing clay with flavorings and spices to make the búcaros more palatable.
  • Parallels are drawn to kids chewing on scented erasers.
• Class & Trend
  • Mainly limited to the upper classes, but imitated by others seeking social ascent.

6. La Bucarofagia en la Cultura Popular ([11:03])

• Literature:

  • Lope de Vega's comedy El acero de Madrid centers on the issue, featuring a pale, supposedly sick noblewoman from eating clay.

• Medical "Treatments":

  • Doctors would recommend drinking "ferruginous waters" (mineral springs) from the "Fuente del Acero" to cure digestive blockages from eating clay.
  • A popular rhyme:

    “Ve, niña, a tomar el agua, que los males que te aquejan el acero los acaba.” ([12:55])

• Double Entendre:

  • "Tomar el acero" (“drink the steel”) also had a flirtatious meaning as young women would use the excuse of their 'ailment' to go to the springs and meet lovers.

7. Humor, Analogies y Reflexión Final

• Nieves uses modern analogies ([09:57])
  • Compares the dangerous fashion of eating clay to today’s obsessions, like dangerous selfies or tanning despite health warnings.
  • “Hace cuatro siglos se ponían malísimas por comer barro. Tampoco importaba. Importaba estar pálida.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On historical diet fads:

  “Yo todavía te digo de verdad que no sé cómo no nos hemos extinguido.” (Nieves, [02:28])

• Explaining why eating clay was attractive:

  “Las jovencitas… se zampaban los jarroncillos por prescripción propia, automedicación, porque eso les proporcionaba una tez elegantemente blanquecina que se llevaba mucho en la época.” (Nieves, [06:36])

• On the health impact:

  “Acababan con el hígado hecho polvo, con las vías excretoras obstruidas... anémicas, perdidas, con la menstruación alterada y lo más importante para ellas, pálidas.” (Nieves, [07:22])

• On class imitation:

  “Supongo que ocurriría como ahora, que por imitación algunos copian a los cayetanos creyendo que eso te convierte en cayetano.” (Nieves, [10:41])

• On medical advice contradictions:

  “De todas formas, por lo que cuentas, me parece que los pobres médicos estaban en esa época tanto despistados porque tan pronto recomendaban comer barro para solucionar la falta de hierro, como beber agua con hierro para solucionar la anemia.” (Host, [11:46])

• Literary double entendre:

  “A la fuente del acero iban unas a curarse... y otras iban a ligar, a disfrutar con la dureza del acero de sus amantes. Y no digo más.” (Nieves, [14:13])

Important Timestamps

• 00:15 – 01:00: Introduction of theme—ignorance and discovery; “bucarofagia”
• 01:17 – 02:28: Explanation of eating clay for beauty; comparisons to modern diet fads
• 03:52 – 05:19: Etymology of búcaro and its cultural presence, including in "Las meninas"
• 05:54 – 08:27: Medical justifications and consequences; the detail in Velázquez's painting
• 08:27 – 09:08: Changes in clay vessels for consumption; the role of artisans
• 10:33 – 11:46: Spread and societal context; references in Lope de Vega’s work
• 12:01 – 14:15: Confusion and contradictions in medical advice; sources of ferruginous water; witty final reflections

Tone and Style

• The episode is rich in irony, humor, and sarcasm, especially in poking fun at both past and present foolish fads.
• Nieves addresses historical ignorance with modern analogies (“No sé cómo no nos hemos extinguido”) and self-deprecating wit.
• The tone is conversational, light-hearted, and often openly critical of past and present “stupideces humanas”.

Summary Conclusion

Acontece que no es poco dives into the bizarre world of bucarofagia with Nieves Concostrina’s unmistakable blend of scholarship and wit. Through historical anecdotes, cultural references (from Velázquez to Lope de Vega), and sharp contemporary parallels, the episode both amuses and informs—reminding listeners how fads, misconceptions, and pursuit of beauty have always led humans into curious (and often hazardous) behaviors.