Traditional cultures that offer broth to new mothers during their postpartum period

Bone broth is a traditional food in many cultures, especially during the postpartum period, due to its healing and nourishing properties.

These traditions often reflect broader cultural beliefs about postpartum recovery, emphasising warmth, nourishment, and restoring balance to the body. 

 

Chinese - Traditional Chinese Medicine - TCM

Postpartum practice: Zuo Yue Zi “sitting the month”— a 30–40 day recovery period.

Bone broth: Made from pork, chicken, or beef bones, often simmered with herbs like goji berries, ginger, and Chinese dates.

Purpose: To replenish “Qi” and blood, restore warmth to the body, and support lactation and tissue healing.

 

Korean

Postpartum dish: Miyeok-guk, seaweed soup, often made with beef bone broth or anchovy broth.

Tradition: Consumed daily for several weeks after childbirth.

Purpose: Seaweed is believed to purify the blood and aid milk production, while the broth offers minerals and protein.

 

Vietnamese

Postpartum dishes: Includes bone-based soups like pho bo or chicken-based broths.

Approach: Influenced by traditional Chinese medicine and local customs emphasizing warming and restorative foods.

Purpose: Replenishes strength, supports digestion, and aids in milk production.

 

Filipino

Postpartum dish: Tinola, ginger-based chicken soup with green papaya and sometimes moringa.

Bone broth base: Chicken with bones, often slow-cooked.

Purpose: Ginger warms the body; green papaya and moringa are believed to boost lactation and immunity.

 

Latin American - especially Mexican

Postpartum dish: Caldo de res, beef bone soup, or caldo de pollo, chicken soup with bones.

Approach: Mothers are encouraged to eat warm, hearty soups.

Purpose: Restores strength, promotes milk production, and keeps the body warm during recovery.

 

Haitian

Postpartum dish: Bouillon, a rich, bone-based soup with meat, root vegetables, and sometimes leafy greens.

Purpose: Replenishment and warmth, based on humoral beliefs similar to hot/cold theory in other cultures.

 

Jewish - Ashkenazi tradition

Traditional dish: Chicken soup, “Jewish penicillin”, often made with bones and vegetables. Though not exclusive to postpartum, it’s often served to the sick or recovering, including new mothers.

Purpose: Nourishment, comfort, and immune support.