Realistic geological and chemical composition of an edible planetary surface
We all at some point in our childhoods thought that the moon is made out of cheese. As such, I thought: under what circumstances can a planetary surface form in such a manner that it is edible (and ideally, nourishing) for human beings?
Since the idea of something like this was never (according to my knowledge) discussed in science fiction, I have decided to ask the relevant question here:
- Which (realistic) (bio)chemical and geological compositions and structures of planetary surfaces (which shall be defined as "going several meters down from the ground") make them edible for humans, e.g. non-poisonous, at least slightly nutritious and, if possible, well-tasting?
Bacterial decomposition can be ignored (unless it plays a role in the formation of such a consumable layer in your solution). It is up to you whether the underlying processes are purely chemical (and the planet, which is ideally Terran in mass and size, does not require life as such) or whether microorganisms (or other lifeforms) significantly contribute to the formation.
The surface should ideally be easily harvestable by means of shovels or other simple tools.
This post was sourced from https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/130161. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1 answer
Many soils are already edible.
Clay.
In fact, clay is harvested and purified as a nutritional supplement. It doesn't add nutrition but it is used in that manner...you can eat clay to help detox the body from bad foods or from toxic materials.
Check out: https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/french-green-clay
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