Overview
Lithophagy is an ingestion of stones. The term comes from Greek roots . The term was suggested in 1922 by Pyotr Dravert. In Russian literature the term may also refer to geophagia.
Discussion
Stones are found ingested by many animals. These called gastroliths. In many cases the reason for this is unknown. Stones may be ingested to grind food or to serve as a ballast for aquatic animals. Walter Henry Medhurst describes a practice of "eating stones" in 19th-century China and Brian S-K Li reported eating of stones as a literary trope in late imperial China (ca. 1550–1800). A street food fad of fried stones called suodiu or suodui () as reported in China in 2023.