The Mouldy Kola Nut who did not Want to Talk: Freshness, Decay, and More-than-human Health in Afro-Brazilian Candomblé

In Afro-Brazilian Candomblé, the manipulation of substances and the preparation and consumption of food offerings are a means of communicating with the orixás, who are the main deities and energies of nature worshipped in the religion. Feeding the deities is part of the ordinary ritual and devotional practice that aims to increase and strengthen the relationship between visible and invisible beings. In certain cases, ritual offerings may also be performed as a healing practice after an illness or misfortune or to soothe spiritual unbalance. However, material substances and food items in Candomblé are more than mere symbols, as they are meant to deliver power and spiritual force. Indeed, it is not only the symbol that matters, but the quality, the state, and the provenance of the ingredients used in offerings. Drawing on data from extensive fieldwork among Candomblé practitioners in different contexts, in this article, I will describe how the state of freshness and decay of food items, objects, and ingredients, and the health condition of animals influences their spiritual properties.