The Strange Origins of Common Food Superstitions
Humans are superstitious creatures by nature, with many strange habits that seem entirely illogical. We avoid walking under ladders or opening umbrellas indoors in fear of bad luck. We knock on wood to prevent disappointment. We shun the number 13 and we can’t quite decide whether black cats are good or bad omens. None of these actions makes much practical sense, and the same is true for a range of superstitions involving food.
Food is a necessity that keeps us functioning and alive, but eating is also a cultural experience, rich with symbolic gestures, long-held traditions, and curious rituals. These include plenty of superstitions believed to bring luck, prosperity, health, wealth, and a range of other supposed benefits. And while modern science may dismiss these practices as mere folklore with no logical basis, there are plenty of common food-based superstitions we just won’t let go.
Here are six superstitions involving food, all of which demonstrate the human desire to find greater meaning or significance in the otherwise simple and essential acts of cooking, eating, and sharing meals.
Throwing a Pinch of Salt Over Your Shoulder
According to one common food superstition, if you accidentally spill salt, you should immediately throw a pinch of it over your left shoulder. The origins of this strange belief aren’t entirely clear. It possibly dates back to the ancient world, including the Romans and Sumerians, when salt was a highly prized commodity and therefore spilling it was frowned upon.
Later, during the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci created one of his most famous works, “The Last Supper,” in which Judas Iscariot is portrayed knocking over a container of salt with his elbow, suggesting that the connection between spilled salt and bad luck was well established by that time. But why do we throw the spilled salt over our left shoulder? The common belief today is that the devil and evil spirits are said to lurk over the left shoulder, and the pinch of jinx-reducing salt is destined for their eyes.
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Eating Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day
In the American South, eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is a common tradition and superstition said to bring luck and prosperity throughout the year ahead. When enslaved Africans brought black-eyed peas to America, the beans were initially used as food for livestock and enslaved people only. Black-eyed peas gained wider acceptance during the Civil War, when they were one of the few foods left untouched by Union troops, who considered them animal feed. Southerners therefore managed to survive on black-eyed peas during the winter, and so began the association with good luck and prosperity, and the tradition of eating them on New Year’s Day.
Breaking the Wishbone
Breaking the wishbone of a cooked chicken or turkey is a common Christmas practice in the United Kingdom and a Thanksgiving tradition in the United States. Objectively, it’s a very strange thing to do, no matter how much luck might be up for grabs: It involves making a wish while pulling the bird bone in two with another person, and the person who gets the bigger piece will have their wish granted.
The origins of this peculiar superstition are debatable. One common theory goes all the way back to the ancient Etruscans, who saw birds as potent oracles. They extracted wishbones from chickens, dried them in the sun, and then touched the bones as a form of divination. The Romans picked up this practice later, by which time the bone was being snapped in half, possibly to double its power. The Romans then introduced the concept to Britain, and it eventually found its way to the Americas via English settlers.
It’s hard to say whether the superstition really has such a long and storied history with a direct link all the way back to the Etruscans. We do know that the wishbone-breaking tradition as we know it today existed at least as early as the 17th century or early 18th century, when the bone was known as a “merrythought.” The term “wishbone” first appeared a century or so later.
Double-Yolk Eggs Bring Good Fortune
Statistically, about one in every thousand eggs has a double yolk. So, if you regularly crack open and cook eggs, there’s a chance you’ll come across one at some point. For the superstitious, an egg with two yolks is widely considered a sign of impending good luck. It’s not known where or when this superstition emerged, but the reasoning behind it is clear to see. Eggs have long been associated with life, rebirth, and potential, making a double yolk a natural candidate for a symbol of abundance, prosperity, and good luck. Double yolks are sometimes regarded as a sign of an upcoming marriage, or that a woman will soon become pregnant with twins.
Blowing Out the Candles on a Birthday Cake
The superstitious tradition of blowing out candles on birthday cakes has surprisingly ancient origins. Some historians believe it goes as far back as the ancient Greeks, who may have made cakes adorned with lit candles to honor Artemis, the goddess of the hunt and moon. This, in turn, was adopted by the Romans, who helped spread the tradition.
In modern Europe, the ritual of celebrating birthdays with a cake and candles — as we do today — has been around since at least the 18th century. One of the first documented accounts comes from the 1746 birthday party of Count Ludwig Von Zinzendorf, a German bishop, who had a massive cake covered in candles. At this point, in Germany at least, the act of extinguishing the candle flames was seen as a way to carry desires up to the gods — not dissimilar to how we blow out candles and make a wish today.
Eating 12 Grapes at Midnight on New Year’s Eve
The tradition of eating a dozen grapes on New Year’s Eve comes from Spain, and while the origins are still debated, it dates back to at least the 1880s. According to some historians, the Spanish bourgeoisie decided to imitate the French New Year’s celebration of drinking champagne by skipping the middleman and going straight for the grapes. Others suggest the tradition began as a shrewd marketing tactic by grape growers who had a surplus harvest to unload in the early 1900s.
Either way, the ritual caught on: By eating one grape at each of midnight’s 12 clock chimes, you are destined for a lucky year, with each grape representing one of the 12 forthcoming months. The custom soon spread throughout Latin America, in countries as diverse as Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Argentina, and Peru. Some Latino populations in the U.S. have also maintained the grape-eating superstition.
