Countless of superstitious beliefs associated with food can be heard and seen around the world. From bread to fish to dairy products to meat, almost every food has an attached tale of practices resulting from fear of the unknown, or trust in magic or chance. Many of these food and drink superstitions came about because of life ceremonies connected with such events as births and weddings, or because people established customs and status symbols around eating or abstaining from certain foods.
And while many of these peculiar food rituals are now being regarded as part of bygone civilizations, a few still persist up to these days. Thanks to modern-day people who have chosen to continuously patronize the supposed morsel of truth behind these bizarre customs, food and superstitions still go hand and hand in all corners of the globe.
Whether you believe them or not, here are some of the known connections between the food that we eat and the amazing beliefs that go with.
BREAD AND BAD LUCK
Breaking bread, for example, in someone’s hand supposedly brings bad luck. Nevertheless, it’s advisable to break — not cut — the first bread that comes out of the oven. It’s been said that it’s unlucky to cut it.
Another belief is that you should not leave a knife in an unsliced loaf of bread. If you do, you could be stabbing the source of your blessings. But bread may increase your chances for a long life if you follow the age-old practice of passing bread around your table at mealtime. When you break bread, or share bread, with strangers, you can expect, as superstitiously believed to establish friendships. Of course, there’s a practical purpose in this because if you share bread or eat together even with someone you barely know, you’ll like to earn friends or improve friendships.
SALT AS MAGIC MINERAL
Salt has been an important ingredient in many food preparations then and now. With that comes a collection of superstitious beliefs that have effectuated the common crystalline seasoning as some kind of a magical substance.
In some countries, salt plays a big role when it comes to transferring to a new house. But some people believe that scattering grains of salt on the windows of the house before the occupants formally live in it will protect them from evil spirits as well as bad fortune. This system of warding off evil may be somewhat related to the one Greeks and the Romans practiced during their times. These people offered to their goddesses salt to protect their newborn children, placing a pinch of salt on the baby’s tongue. People carried salt in their pockets to entice good fortune when business was conducted and during ceremonies surrounding events such as births and weddings.
Today, there are people who cling on to the belief that saltshaker should be full on New Year’s Day in order to ensure prosperity throughout the year.
FRUITS AND PEOPLE’S FORTUNES
Fruits are some of the most nutritious foods that have blessed men. They help heal wounds, deflect diseases and complement meals. But in many superstitious beliefs, fruits may also bring bad luck to an individual. Anyone who carelessly throws away a banana skin may suffer a painful death, some people believe. Needless to say, such belief carries a pinch of truth on it. You should always watch or be wary of where you throw a banana peel since you or someone else could slip on it and suffer a painful fall.
Not all fruits are the harbingers of unfortunate events though: To our Chinese brothers, whose New Year is based on a lunar calendar and begins with a new moon sometime between late January and February, the luckiest fruits are oranges and tangerines. The reason for this is because these fruits have a natural reddish-orange color, and red is a Chinese symbol of good luck.
EGGS AND OTHER MYTHS
For a long time, the egg wag looked upon as a symbol of the universe, endowed with magical powers that were put into effect in numerous superstitious practices and rituals, particularly fertility rites.
In Europe, the egg was thought to bring life to various crops. When it was time to sow grain, a farmer would take an egg into the field to ensure that the grain would sprout and grow well. Some farmers would throw eggshells onto the ground between rows of grain or vegetables, believing that this would help bring about a good yield in the process.
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