Pregnancy is a crucial period for the life of the mother and baby. At this stage, maternal nutritional status needs attention because it can have an impact on maternal and child health. The low nutrient status of mothers during pregnancy can increase the risk of premature birth, low childbirth weight. So the growth and development of children are less optimal. Pregnant women have higher nutritional needs, especially energy, protein, vitamin A, folate, calcium, iron, and iodine.

Cultural factors such as beliefs, values, taboo food, food recommendations, habits and practices related to food consumption for pregnant women and socio-economic conditions influence maternal nutritional status. Taboo food is still widely trusted and avoided by the public, especially pregnant women. There is a belief in the community that prohibitions and taboos are imposed to protect the health of mothers and their babies. On the other hand, taboo food can also increase the risk of nutritional deficiency, especially for protein, fat, vitamin A, calcium, and iron in pregnant women. Madurese ethnicity, in general, still believe in the myths related to pregnancy. Therefore, this article will discuss taboo foods and recommended foods for pregnant women in the Madurese ethnic group.

This research is a qualitative study conducted in Sumenep Regency, Madura Island, East Java. There were 67 informants involved in this study. Forty informants participated in in-depth interviews (15 pregnant women, 15 pregnant women’s family members, and ten traditional childbirth attendants) and 27 informants consisting of 10 pregnant women’s family members, 11 community leaders, and six traditional birth attendants involved in a focus group discussion (FGD).

The results showed that taboo food and recommended food believed by pregnant women in the Madurese ethnic group can be classified into four groups: animal foods, vegetables, fruit, and drinks. Foods that were mostly considered a taboo for the pregnant women were squid, shrimp, pineapple, cabbage, and sweet iced water. Based on in-depth interviews, taboo food is prohibited because it is believed to make babies have physical properties and forms like those animals. Pregnant women who eat shrimps are feared to have fetus or baby which will curve like the physical shape of shrimp and delivery process will be difficult, or the baby does not want to go out during labor like the nature of shrimps which like to hide in the sand.

The Madurese community, especially Sumenep, believes that kale, eggplant, cabbage, the heart of a banana, and chillies are not suitable to be consumed by pregnant women. Raw eggplant has a hard surface and skin that blends with the meat so it cannot be peeled. It gives rise to the perception that eggplant has smooth but thick or hard skin. Based on this philosophy, ethnic Madurese believe that if pregnant women consume eggplant, the fetus will be wrapped in thick amniotic fluid like eggplant. It can prolong and complicate labor. Besides, eggplant is also considered to affect the fetus to be small and blue.

Consumption of kedondong fruit, pineapple, snake fruit, durian, and rambutan is prohibited for pregnant women. They should not be consumed because they are believed to cause miscarriage and heat in the stomach. Kedondong and pineapple are the two most taboo by Madurese. Pineapple is most avoided in pregnant women in the 1st and 2nd trimesters, while kedondong is in the 3rd trimester. Most people in Sumenep believe that the consumption of cold drinks, especially sweet ones, is dangerous for pregnant women because it can cause complications during childbirth. Complications during labor are caused by babies who are too big because they drink lots of cold water (sweet).

Foods that are widely recommended for pregnant women in research locations are corn rice, pindang, milkfish, tilapia fish, tempeh and tofu, almost all types of fruits, Moringa leaves, and coconut water. Corn rice is the staple food of the Madurese community with amino acid content better than usual rice or corn alone. Animal food that is available, cheap and easily accessible, is widely recommended for pregnant women. Moringa leaf is one of the diets with the highest availability in Madura and has a higher iron and calcium content than spinach. Moringa leaves are usually consumed as vegetables. Almost all types of fruit are recommended for consumption as long as the family can afford it. Coconut water is the most recommended drink for pregnant women consumption, not only in Madura but also in various ethnic groups in Indonesia. Coconut water is believed to make baby’s skin clean.

Based on the results of this study, a lot of food is believed as taboos to Madurese pregnant women for health or cultural reasons. Most pregnant women obey and avoid the food considered as taboos because they fear that they may affect the health of the mother and baby. Local wisdom regarding recommended foods circulating in the community can be valuable information and support nutrition education for pregnant women in Madura. Many pregnant women avoid taboo food. Therefore health workers can encourage pregnant women to eat foods that are recommended by the community that is affordable, widely available and have the same or even higher nutritional content than food that is tabulated.

Author: Rian Diana, SP., M.Si

Detailed information from this study can be seen in our article in the Journal of Ethnic Foods. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352618118301446

Diana R, Rachmayanti RD, Anwar F, Khomsan A, Chistianti DF, Kusuma R. (2018). Food Taboos And Suggestions among Madurese Pregnant Women: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Ethnic Foods 5 (2018): 246-253. DOI Number: 10.1016 / j.jef.2018.10.006