In English folklore, groaning food was food, which was occasionally kept uneaten for superstitious reasons, customarily made and served after childbirth.
[1][2] The word groaning referred to the noises made during childbirth by the woman.
The groaning food was served on a groaning board, with the various foods served prefaced by the term 'groaning'.
It was cut from the middle so that the baby, when born, could be passed through it.
[3] Groaning cake was another popular groaning food made for the occasion of a birth and retained as a simple talisman afterwards, much like topper from a wedding or birthday cake.