Food Taboos and Biblical Prohibitions: Reassessing Archaeological and Literary Perspectives ed. by Peter Altmann, Anna Angelini, and Abra Spiciarich

2021 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 528-530
Author(s):  
James W. Watts
Keyword(s):  
Food Taboos

scholarly journals Food-related taboos and misconceptions during pregnancy among rural communities of Illu Aba Bor zone, Southwest Ethiopia. A community based qualitative cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dereje Tsegaye ◽  
Dessalegn Tamiru ◽  
Tefera Belachew
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Birth Outcome ◽  
Fetal Head ◽  
Health Extension Workers ◽  
Traditional Beliefs ◽  
Southwest Ethiopia ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Food Taboos

Abstract Background Poor maternal nutrition adversely affects pregnancy and birth outcomes. In many societies, there are dietary restrictions due to misconceptions or food taboos during pregnancy which consequently results in the depletion of important nutrients. These cultural malpractices and beliefs can influence the dietary intake of pregnant women which subsequently affects the birth outcome. The study aimed at exploring the extent of food taboos and misconceptions during pregnancy in rural communities of Illu Aba Bor Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. Methods A qualitative study was conducted using an in-depth interviews of key informants and focus group discussions among purposively selected pregnant women and their husbands, health care workers, health extension workers, and elderly people. Data were transcribed verbatim, thematized; color-coded, and analyzed manually using the thematic framework method. Result Thorough reading and review of the transcripts generated three major themes. The primary theme was the belief and practice of taboos related to the intake of certain food items during pregnancy. Pregnant women, their husbands, and mothers-in-law believed that certain foods should be avoided during pregnancy. The second theme was foods that were held as taboo and the reason attached to it. The most common food items held as taboo were related to the consumption of vegetables like cabbage, pumpkin, milk and milk products, sugar cane, fruits like bananas and avocado and egg. The main reasons to avoid these foods were beliefs that it can be plastered on the fetal head, making fatty baby which is difficult for delivery. The third theme was the reasons underlying adherence to food taboos which is deeply embedded in the person’s believes and attitudes of the pregnant women, who were nested within the influence of the social environment surrounding them and the traditional beliefs and values of the society in general. Conclusions The results showed a widespread practice of food taboos during pregnancy in the study area. The finding suggested that there is a need for strengthening the nutrition counseling components of antenatal care follow-up and planning comprehensive nutrition education through involving important others to dispel such traditional beliefs and prevent food taboo practices in the study community.

scholarly journals Traditional food taboos and practices during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and infant care of Zulu women in northern KwaZulu-Natal

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mmbulaheni Ramulondi ◽  
Helene de Wet ◽  
Nontuthuko Rosemary Ntuli
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Fruits And Vegetables ◽  
Infant Care ◽  
Leafy Vegetables ◽  
Traditional Food ◽  
Food Taboos ◽  
Pregnancy And Postpartum ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Postpartum Recovery

Abstract Background Traditional practices and beliefs influence and support the behavior of women during pregnancy and childbirth in different parts of the world. Not much research has been conducted to examine whether and how cultural traditions continue to shape maternity experiences of Zulu women. The aim of this study is to establish the extent at which women in certain rural communities adhere to traditional food taboos and practices during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and infants feeding, in comparison to what is recommended by health care workers. Methods A survey was conducted in the rural northern KwaZulu-Natal between 2017 and 2020. A total of 140 women between the ages of 18 and 90 years were interviewed and they were chosen purposively based on their experiences in pregnancy, postpartum recovery, infant care, and their willingness to share the knowledge. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Most (64%) of the participants said that they adhered to these cultural food taboos and practices. The most common foods avoided were certain fruits [mango, naartjie, orange, papaya, and peach], butternut, eggs, sweets (sugar, commercial juice, sweet food, and honey), chili, ice, and alcohol. The most recommended foods during pregnancy were leafy vegetables, fruits (except the avoided ones), liver, and fish. For postpartum recovery, women mostly consumed soft porridge, all fruits and vegetables, beetroot, and tea. Food not allowed for children younger than 2 years included meat, sugar and sweets, and chewable foods. Conclusion Differences on food taboos and practices between participants who received formal education and those who did not received it were insignificant. The beliefs about the detrimental effects of some foods were not backed up by scientific research. Restriction of some orange/yellow colored fruits during pregnancy that are rich in vitamin A and/or C may affect daily requirements of these micronutrients, and the foods recommended during pregnancy and postpartum period would not provide all the essential nutrients required for successful pregnancy. However, some of the food taboos would protect women from unhealthy eating. Our findings provide a basis for developing culturally appropriate nutritional mediation programs for Zulu women with a view to provide effective nutritional counseling.

scholarly journals ET VILDNIS AF TABUER: Jagten på en kulinarisk struktur

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Liep
Keyword(s):  
Papua New Guinea ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Asymmetric Structure ◽  
Lactating Women ◽  
Food Taboos ◽  
Anthropological Research ◽  
Clear Idea ◽  
The Universe

John Liep: A Wilderness of Taboos: The Quest for a Culinary Structure Recent anthropological research in Melanesia has focused on the construction of the person, theories of conception and procreation, and flows of substances through social relations and persons. There will often be a correspondence between substances such as sperm and biood, bodily parts such as bone and flesh, and contrasting foods that are gendered. An asymmetric constitution of the person and a clear structuration of food prestations between affinal sides may exist. A study of these themes on Rossel Island, Papua New Guinea yielded frustrating results. No clear idea of contrasting, gendered body aspects was found. Further, a large number of food taboos for menstruating, pregnant and lactating women was distributed in clusters that were amenable to various logics of interpretation without any total structural logic appearing. This negative result is explained by the absence of any sustained practice of asymmetric marriage and corresponding complementary prestations between affines, which would reproduce an ordering asymmetric structure of the person and of the universe of foods.

scholarly journals Fasting, food and farming: Value chains and food taboos in Ethiopia

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. e0259982
Author(s):  
Eline D’Haene ◽  
Senne Vandevelde ◽  
Bart Minten
Keyword(s):  
Poor Performance ◽  
Annual Number ◽  
Milk Consumption ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Food Taboos ◽  
Dairy Consumption ◽  
Dairy Animals ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Religious Fasting

The impact of food taboos–often because of religion–is understudied. In Ethiopia, religious fasting by Orthodox Christians is assumed to be an important impediment for the sustainable development of a competitive dairy sector and desired higher milk consumption, especially by children. However, evidence is limited. Relying on unique data, we shed light on three major issues. First, we observe that the average annual number of fasting days that Orthodox adults are effectively adhering to is 140, less than commonly cited averages. Using this as an estimate for extrapolation, fasting is estimated to reduce annual dairy consumption by approximately 12 percent nationally. Second, farms adapt to declining milk demand during fasting by increased processing of milk into storable products–fasting contributes to larger price swings for these products. We further note continued sales of milk by non-remote farmers and reduced production–by adjusting lactation times for dairy animals–for remote farmers. Third, fasting is mostly associated with increased milk consumption by the children of dairy farmers, seemingly because of excess milk availability during fasting periods. Our results suggest that fasting habits are not a major explanation for the observed poor performance of Ethiopia’s dairy sector nor low milk consumption by children. To reduce the impact of fasting on the dairy sector in Ethiopia further, investment is called for in improved milk processing, storage, and infrastructure facilities.

scholarly journals The Impacts of Food Taboos and Preferences on Food Security in Developing Countries: Evidence from Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Alex Sewenet ◽  
Pavol Schwarcz
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Food Utilization ◽  
Orthodox Christian ◽  
Food Taboos ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
Private Investors ◽  
Temporary Closure

Abstract Food norms are embodied within all the essential components of food security; availability, access, utilization, and stability. However, the adverse economic influences of these norms are largely under–researched in developing countries. Unique in its scoop, this study thus investigates the impacts of food taboos and preferences (FTP) on food security in Ethiopia, one of the world’s food–insecure nations combined with a culture of strict food norms. On the basis of a qualitative research design with semi–structured in–depth interviews, primary data was collected from eleven key informants of pertinent multidisciplinary backgrounds, experts and decision–makers. The empirical evidence revealed that religious and secular– based FTP have put significant restrictions on the efficient utilization of the existing edible resources in the country. For example, during Orthodox Christian (OC) and Muslim fasting days, the overall food supply chain undergoes economic turbulence. Particularly, the economic challenge of OC fasting is expressed by (1) a decrease in consumption and supply of non–vegan foods, (2) the temporary closure of butcher and dairy shops, (3) an increase in the demand and price of vegan foods, and (4) an overall reduction in consumption and economic transactions. Moreover, the tradition of animal consecration at home has made many Ethiopians to rarely depend on supermarkets, groceries, and other licensed meat shops. In turn, this impedes the country’s endeavor of attracting local and foreign private investors in the general food sector. It also alienates people from access to food labels, meat quality controls, price, size, and choice advantages, all of which are essential for better, adaptive, and stable food utilization. The results discovered in this thesis enrich our understanding on the role of food norms in the economic systems. Particularly, the study sheds light on the indispensable need to consider the subject of FTP in policies and programs aiming to end food insecurity.

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