By Rachel Tepper Paley, March 10, 2020, The Washington Post
In the days following the birth of my daughter, my postnatal plan included the usual Western treatments: ice packs and numbing spray, tush pillows and mesh underwear. But my background as an Ashkenazi Jew merited an additional, culinary regimen: so-called Jewish penicillin, a.k.a. chicken noodle soup. On one hormone-
fueled afternoon, I wept tears of joy into a steaming bowl of schmaltzy broth — such was its power.
The notion that recovery from childbirth might include a culinary component was not detailed in my hospital’s take-home informational packet, but it is standard treatment in cultures the world over. From China to India to Latin America, new mothers are plied with health-minded dishes that promise all manner of benefits. Eager to replenish calcium stores zapped by breast-feeding? Shrink your uterus back to pre-pregnancy size? Restore balanced levels of chi, the concept of “life force” in Eastern medicine? There’s a dish for that.
[Please click here to read the full story.]
Comments (0)