Soups for new mothers around the world
In many cultures, the first weeks after a birth come with their own food. The confinement month in East Asia, the lohusa days in Türkiye, omugwo in Nigeria and the resguardo in Portugal and Brazil are all times when the family cooks special food for the new mother, and very often that food is soup.
The month of rest6 soups
In much of Asia, the weeks after a birth are a time of rest at home, with special dishes cooked by the family.
Seaweed Soup
South Korea7.6New mothers in Korea traditionally eat seaweed soup for weeks after giving birth. It is also the birthday soup, eaten in honour of one's mother.
Read about Seaweed Soup →Ma You Ji
Taiwan7.0Sesame oil chicken is the signature dish of zuo yuezi, the month of rest after childbirth in Taiwan.
Read about Ma You Ji →Ginger Duck Soup
Taiwan6.5Old ginger, sesame oil and rice wine with duck: a Taiwanese winter favourite that is also cooked during the month of rest.
Read about Ginger Duck Soup →Green Papaya and Fish Soup
Singapore5.4A milky fish and green papaya soup, one of the best-known dishes of the Chinese confinement month in Singapore and Malaysia.
Read about Green Papaya and Fish Soup →Kaeng Liang
Thailand3.7A peppery Thai vegetable soup that has long been cooked for mothers after they give birth.
Read about Kaeng Liang →Jwano ko Jhol
Nepal6.8An ajwain and ghee broth, the everyday soup of the sutkeri, the new mother, in Nepali homes.
Read about Jwano ko Jhol →
Omugwo and beyond6 soups
Across Africa, a mother or grandmother often moves in after a birth to cook and care for mother and baby.
Ofe Nsala
Nigeria4.1Igbo white soup, a centrepiece of omugwo, when the new mother's own mother comes to stay and cook for her.
Read about Ofe Nsala →Ji Mmiri Oku
Nigeria5.7Igbo yam pepper soup, traditionally the first dish a new mother is given, cooked by her own mother during omugwo.
Read about Ji Mmiri Oku →Nigerian Pepper Soup
Nigeria6.2Hot, spiced pepper soup is one of the dishes Nigerian families traditionally prepare for new mothers.
Read about Nigerian Pepper Soup →Aaru Soup
Nigeria5.6A Yoruba palm oil and melon seed soup scented with aaru, one of the soups families in Ondo State cook for new mothers.
Read about Aaru Soup →Miyan Kuka
Nigeria3.5Baobab leaf soup, among the traditional soups served to new mothers in northern Nigeria.
Read about Miyan Kuka →Mtori
Tanzania7.3Chagga plantain and beef soup from Kilimanjaro, cooked soft for women in the months after giving birth.
Read about Mtori →
The resguardo2 soups
In Portugal and Brazil, the weeks after a birth were called the resguardo, and chicken was kept aside for them.
Canja de Galinha
Brazil8.0Chicken and rice soup of the resguardo, a custom Brazil inherited from Portugal, where some regions served new mothers only canja for weeks.
Read about Canja de Galinha →Sopa da Mulher Parida
Brazil6.3The new mother's soup of Minas Gerais: hen broth thickened with corn flour, once cooked by the midwives in the days after a birth.
Read about Sopa da Mulher Parida →
Please note: this page is about food traditions and culture. It is not medical or dietary advice. New mothers should follow the guidance of their own doctor or midwife.