- In The Handmaid’s Tale, food is a symbol of control over the handmaids in the fictional society Gilead and even after they escape from it.
- Despite how food controls them, the handmaids find ways to use it as a tool for rebellion and to undermine Gilead’s power.
- Because food is so familiar, the way it is used in the show is both unsettling and relatable.
Note: The article below contains descriptions of abuse that may be triggering for some individuals.
“Blessed be the fruit”—a greeting rooted in the Biblical quote “Blessed is the fruit of the womb”—is how characters in Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale say “hello,” and it sets the scene for the series. But while many view the show through the lens of childbearing, its use of food as a means of control and rebellion offers a striking parallel to our own world, where there are debates over bodily autonomy, food access and the role of traditional values in law and policy.
Based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale is set in Gilead, a place where a totalitarian theocracy has overthrown the government. The leaders of Gilead stripped women of their rights and divided society members into a strict class system. While the leaders claim to value childbearing over all else, their true motivation is power and control. And food, because it is a basic human need, becomes a perfect vehicle for enforcing that control.
How Food Is Used as a Means of Control
At first, the series uses food to help explain the world of Gilead. For instance, when June (Elizabeth Moss), a handmaid assigned to Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife, Serena Joy Waterford (Yvonne Strahovski), shops for the household groceries, she navigates a world stripped of words because it’s illegal for women to read. Authoritarian control dictates who can learn and what they can learn.
Later when the Waterfords host a Mexican ambassador, they present her with a bowl of oranges as proof of their country’s thriving food supply, a rarity in this near future. The presentation of oranges as a symbol of Gilead’s superiority also echoes how, throughout the real world, access to fresh, nutritious food is often used to draw lines between communities.
And food also has far more sinister uses in Gilead. While the handmaids are tortured in many physical ways, what’s sometimes even more chilling is how food is used to psychologically torture them and how this symbolizes Gilead’s all-encompassing control.
The handmaids exist solely for reproduction, so they are closely monitored and their diets are controlled. They aren’t allowed coffee or alcohol, and sweets, such as stewed apples, are considered a special treat. June and the other handmaids are treated merely as walking wombs.
In an unsettling scene, June is offered a macaron by one of the Wives of Gilead. Another remarks, “You shouldn’t spoil them. Sugar is bad for them.” But when Serena encourages June to take the cookie, June must graciously accept. “Aww, isn’t she well-behaved?” one of the Wives comments, as if June is a dog they’re giving a treat to. This dehumanization and control of even small food choices is part of June’s torture.
In another scene, Aunt Lydia (Ann Dowd), who oversees June and the other handmaids in Boston, punishes the women for defying an order by burning their wrists over a stove. June escapes this form of punishment because she is pregnant. Instead, Aunt Lydia forces her to sit quietly at a table and eat soup. All the while, the handmaids are screaming in the background, showing a juxtaposition between trauma and forced normalcy.
In another episode, Aunt Lydia makes June chug a vile-looking green smoothie, telling her the baby needs the nutrients. The smoothie isn’t just food: it’s a way for Aunt Lydia to show June who’s in charge. June’s pregnancy and body are not her own.
The Long-Lasting Impact of Trauma and Food
Unfortunately, food troubles don’t end when the handmaids escape from Gilead. Emily (Alexis Bledel), who is living as a refugee in Toronto, sees a doctor who tells her “watch that cholesterol … It’s a little high for a woman your age.” Reflecting on this later, Emily says, “[The high cholesterol is from] all the meat and butter I guess … I never had that problem. Before Gilead, I was a vegetarian.” Despite all the torture she endured in Gilead, this change disturbs Emily most—there’s no part of her that Gilead hasn’t touched, including something so mundane
When June escapes in Season 4, she learns that she’ll always carry scars from Gilead as well. At a supermarket in Toronto, the wings on the logo of a water bottle display remind her of an angel statue in Gilead, causing her to relive her most traumatic moments. Though June’s struggle is fictional, food can be a powerful trigger, especially for those with complex post-traumatic stress disorder. “This is especially true for survivors of sexual abuse or assault, where certain textures … flavors … or shapes … can evoke visceral discomfort, shame or disgust responses,” says Kait Rosiere, Psy.D., CEDS, a clinical psychologist and certified eating disorder specialist whose focus is the intersection between eating disorders and trauma. “For trauma survivors, these foods aren’t simply unpleasant—they are invasive reminders of violation and helplessness.” Trauma doesn’t end when a person finds safety—it lingers and can show up in everyday situations.
How Food Is Used as a Tool for Rebellion
Yet, food is not just a means of control; the handmaids find a way to use it for rebellion. This starts off small. After June is forced to eat the macaron, she slowly walks to the bathroom, spits the chewed-up cookie into the sink and beams at herself in the mirror. And though she drinks Aunt Lydia’s smoothie, she dramatically throws it up on the Waterfords’ table. These small gestures spark bigger acts of resistance.
Characters also begin to use food to plan secret operations against Gilead. It becomes a tool for communication when, in Season 1, June’s friend Moira (Samira Wiley) smuggles letters from women in Gilead. A butcher hands the letters to June, disguised as a package of meat. These letters are later smuggled into Canada and published online, bringing Gilead’s abuses against women to light. The Canadian government ends diplomatic talks with the country as a result.
In Season 3, when June is planning to smuggle children out of Gilead, she receives baskets of muffins, a sign that the Marthas (house slaves) will help her. At the end of the episode, her kitchen is overrun with the muffins, which presumably represent the number of children the Marthas plan to bring her. June gets 86 children on a cargo plane to Canada, a devastating blow to Gilead.
In the sixth and final season, food becomes a weapon. June and her friends lace the cake at Serena’s second wedding, poisoning Gilead’s most important players, which allows the handmaids to later kill them in their sleep and begin the revolution. “They will never see us coming,” June says. The series ends with June and her allies successfully taking back Boston from Gilead, with plans to continue fighting and rebuild the U.S.
The Bottom Line
Food is deeply personal and political in the show. “When food is used as a reward, punishment or means to shape behavior, the associations can become maladaptive and deeply ingrained,” says Rosiere. But the rituals that once felt violating can actually become empowering, as proven by the handmaids’ rebellion. It’s not the foods that are significant, but the way characters, both good and evil, use them. These everyday food moments—from cookies to cake to cholesterol—bring this dystopian world closer to reality, which makes the series all the more unsettling.
