 A colleague recently came to me with a burning food question. It wasn’t the usual “where should I take my visiting vegan cousin for dinner?” or “what the heck do I do with a butternut squash anyhow?” Rather, the conversation veered toward an edgier topic: kitchen knives. He was attending a wedding later in the month and wanted to give the future Mr. and Mrs. something more on the functional side; an item they’d actually use on a day-to-day basis instead of some highfalutin punch bowl only brought out once in a blue moon. "No, no, no! Don't do that. It's bad luck,” piped up a neighboring editor. From there, our conversation soon took a sharp turn and plunged into food superstitions. There are the usual suspects like birthday cake. The standard belief is that the birthday guy or gal makes a wish before blowing out the candles, and if they blow them all out in one puff, the wish will become reality. And unfortunately for blabbermouths, if the honoree divulges what their wish was, then it won't come true. Then there’s the ceremonial breaking of the wishbone: Two people grab respective sides of the clavicle and make a wish while pulling it apart. Whoever ends up with the longer piece will get a "lucky break." Or if you spill salt, you’re supposed to toss a pinch over your left shoulder. With this one, there are many origin theories, including the imagery of spilt salt as a sign of bad luck as depicted in Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece “The Last Supper.” In the painting, Judas, who ultimately betrays Jesus, has knocked over a nearby bowl of salt. It's also thought you toss the seasoning over your left shoulder to ward off evil instead of your right because of the mythology that the Devil sits on your left shoulder, while an angel holds down the fort on your right. It just gets more esoteric from there. An old belief in British fishing ports was if you don’t crush the egg shells after you’re done eating boiled eggs, witches will use the discarded shells as boats to set sail and wreak havoc on the seas. In 1934, Elizabeth Fleming wrote in a poem "Egg-Shells": “Oh, never leave your egg shells unbroken in the cup; And when you aren't worrying about pint-sized paddling conjurers, you might want to watch where you're walking: popular lore goes that if two people are walking hand-in-hand and something comes between them causing them to let go of hands like a lamp-post or person, the parties must say “bread and butter” so their relationship doesn't become separated as well. In the American South, you can even whip up your own luck. It’s customary to serve stewed collard greens and black-eyed peas on New Year's Day to cook up good fortune in the coming year. And during the Chinese New Year, if you cut your noodles - a food signifying longevity - you’ve just moonlighted as the Grim Reaper and snipped away from your life expectancy. But all these are just the tip of the iceberg (wedge). Share your own weird, wacky and wild food superstitions in the comments below and we’ll our favorites in an upcoming post. Good luck! |
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Happy Birthday to her, it's nice celebration with sweet cake
Green M&M's make you "frisky"...... Oysters are good for the libido....... Don't eat cold food when you have a cold..... An egg under your bed takes away headaches....... garlic keeps evil spirits away....... eating hot peppers and spicey food is good for fertility and trying to get pregnant....... Hanging a pickle on the Christmas tree brings good luck to the child who finds it....... a decorative container of salt is given as a gift for peace and prosperity in a new home...... Soap under your sheets at the foot of the bed take away leg cramps at night...... tea leaves in a tea cup can tell your future....... There are so many!!!
Actually, a couple of these are proven, well at least plausible in studies. Oysters raise testosterone levels needed for both men and women for drive. :D Spicy food is thought to increase blood flow, increasing fertility indirectly by raising this blood flow. So it's not all superstition anymore – may have started that way!
I remember my father saying that if you got the string that was used to tie up a chicken (hold the legs together) that you would pee in your bed at night. That's kinda unusual.
My grandmother (and mother of course), was from the Carribbean.... When I was to be married, she became very distraught that she would not be able to make my wedding cake...as I was being married in the U.S. in typical tradition. The traditional Carribbean "fruit cake" was a cake that is made a month before the wedding... it is not a fruitcake like we think of at Christmas time... It has pineapple and coconut in it, etc.... Each day after the cake is made a shot glass of rum is poured over the cake and it is sealed to "set". Not real clear on the origins.... But my grandmother did it anyway. After the traditional month of setting and prayers, she tenderly cut the cake in bite sized pieces, wrapped each piece in saran wrap, and had each piece placed in a tiny plastic container than looked like a cake. (Where she found these I have no idea). She boxed them all up and brought them on the airplaine with her for my wedding... Each guest was given a piece of "my cake" at the reception... It was lovely, and I will never forget it.
Every Easter (the Greek Orthodox one) my grandma dies hard boiled eggs red and after dinner we all take one and participate in an "egg cracking competition". Each family member goes around the room and challenges an opponant by smashing/tapping/hitting their egg onto the opponant's egg (Point to Point or Round to Round, never point to round because that would be unfair) and whoever has the strongest egg (the egg that didn't crach or show fissures on it's pointy side or round side) would win.
I have no idea of this is a Greek tradition or if my family is just crazy. But it's a lot of fun and you get to be called "King Egg" for the rest of the night. It's also supposed to be goodluck if you win.
Oops, not DIES but Dyes .... lol
I'm Russian Orthodox and my family does that every Easter as well! We don't give titles if we win, but we make a show of it. I've never heard of it bringing good luck, but we do it for fun. :)
I've heard of putting nutmeg in your mashed potatoes for luck, but I can't remember where this superstition is from. Has anyone else heard this one, or was someone yanking my chain when they told me?
Might be an Irish immigrant thing, to recreate the flavors of home, since it was likely harder to find the nutmeg-laden sausages used for traditional Bangers 'n Mash.
Fisherman NEVER, EVER allow Bananas on a fishing boat. Very bad fishing MOJO!!!
Are there no Italians reading this who have Lentil Soup every New Year's Day?
My mother diligently countered any old wive's tales floating around so we didn't grow up with many superstitions (wishing on the cake was just for fun, as were a lot of childhood traditions – I wouldn't want to have lived without them). So, when I got my first job and found the office full of older women with their superstitions it was very entertaining. I wasn't amused, however, when I got pregnant and became the target of their well-meaning restrictions and "advice". It was handy when they wouldn't let me reach above my head to retrieve files (that would tie the cord around the baby's neck) but other than that I prefer to leave superstition for Halloween parties. Excuse me, I seem to have misplaced my rabbit's foot. . .
We always eat cabbage and black eyed peas for New Year's. And we carry around a piece of uncooked cabbage (in foil) in our wallets for monetary luck. I don't see that it's helped us much. ;) And my Granny was absolutely insane about no one ever eating in the bathroom. She claimed food consumed in the bathroom went 'straight to the devil'. (Not that we would eat in the bathroom, but if you were just chewing and went that direction she would make you swallow before you went in). She also said singing at the table was bad luck... but she was full of superstition. I miss her so much! LOL
Talk about a screwed up family - a southern (alabama ) boy (black eyed peas and collard greens) married a pennsylvania girl (pork and sauerkraut) with a normal wedding cake (saved the top layer) and a never before heard of "grooms"cake. Mde sure we didn't get any knives as gifts...
We have a very stinky kitchen on new year's.... lol!
My Japanese roommate would tell me to stop sticking my fork in my food (making it stand straight up). She said it means that the food is for the dead.
Growing up we always had rice pudding (smothered in strawberry-rhubarb sauce) for dessert on Christmas Eve. My grandmother would include one almond in it, and whoever got the almond was said to have good luck for the following year. I have no idea where this tradition came from, though. Maybe it's a Finnish thing since both of my grandparents were Finns.
I believe you just unintentionally implied that Finns are nuts...
Look up the King of the Bean ceremony from early Europe. Winning was definitely a mixed blessing.
Brother and his friends used to play "King of the Bean" back in the day. Don't reckon it's the same thing...
Not sure where it came from, but I was always told that New Years Eve, you ate richly to celebrate the completion of the year, but on New Years day, you ate foods of humble origin, so as not to tempt fate going into the new year.
Pretty sure this isn't a reference to eating a slice of humble pie. What's a "food of humble origin"? From my understanding, humble is "low"...so does this mean only root foods like potatoes, carrots & radishes? Technically, a turnip in Tibet is higher than Kobe in Kyoto. Quite a culinary quandary...
This sounds right, as most New Year's traditions are tied up in this superstition. The first day of the new year is supposed to set the tone for the coming year. There are a number of things that you should do on new year's day to bring you luck for the coming year, and a larger list of things you shouldn't do so that the fates or demons won't curse your coming year.
That's also the theme of most Christmas traditions. Most people don't realize that just about every last common Christmas tradition is designed to bring luck or ward of bad spirits.
(If this double posts, it's because I finally figured out what was catching me up with the uber-moderator.)
Ugh. Never mind. I give up on this site. No matter what I do, every single post I make gets moderated – innocuous, one and all.
I like to study the origin of superstitions, though I don't believe in them myself. They are fascinating.
In many Asian cultures, leaving chopsticks sticking out of your rice is a portent to death. (It's quite reminiscent of the incense left at graves and shrines.)
Speaking of cakes, wedding cakes once had some interesting meanings. The top tier of a wedding cake was once meant to be kept by the bride and groom and then eaten on their first anniversary. The reason for this was that the cake was to carry some of the luck wrapped up in the ceremony. When eating from it a year later, that luck was supposed to re-infuse the couple and lead to a lasting, happy relationship.
Of course we all know that throwing rice at weddings was to encourage fertility in the couple. Rice substitutes are often used now, but ostensibly should carry the same meaning.
Actually the superstitions associated with weddings are vast, and certainly not limited to food.
There's a superstition that eating peanuts in the shell will cause disaster at NASCAR races.
Christmas has it's own traditional food superstitions:
Several foods are to be made before, but not eaten until, Christmas day, such as cakes, pies, mince pies, and puddings. Puddings are supposed to bring luck, but only if everyone present stirs the pot, and sometimes this is accompanied by making a wish over the pudding and then eating it. The wish is supposed to come true in the following year.
Of course there are a number of superstitions involving eating certain foods to induce labor in a pregnant woman.
etc, etc, etc. There are really a LOT out there.
I don't know about NASCAR, but eating peanuts in the shell causes disasters on Uranus.
"Christmas is just plain weird. What other time of year do you sit in front of a dead tree in the living room and eat candy out of your socks?"
south is north an north is south!lol!
I make a wish before eating an egg. But if I tell anybody what the wish is, I have to throw a birthday cake over my left shoulder, otherwise witches could sail into the kitchen on old broken saltshakers and wreak havoc. Before eating the egg, however, I first have to throw it over my right shoulder in order to ward off the devil. If the egg hits the ground before before I crush the shells in the bowl, I have to repeat "bread and butter" 5 times so that my relationships won't "shatter." If the shells break into an odd number of pieces, I use Chinese noodles to tie the pieces together to create an even number, so that my new year will be long and free from "odd" occurences. People criticize me, but it's really quite logical and they don't understand anyway.
That, my dear Poltergeist, is quite hilarious.
Oh, there you are, grandmother! Did you forget to take your meds this morning?
Sounds more logical than most religions
... unless the moon is full on a Tuesday .....
I was at a friends house on New Years once and we all had to get on chairs and at each chime of the clock we had to have a grape or a cranberry (i don't remember which b/c we cheated and had craisens, lol) I believe it was a Portuguese tradition,but I could be wrong bc my friends family i not Portuguese
WTH!? LOL!
I know it's tradition in Spain to eat 12 grapes as the clock stricks 12. If you can eat them with the chimes, it brings good luck for the year. And they don't have seedless grapes either. I only made it to three before I nearly choked...
*Strikes not stricks
Anyone remember this one – you twist the stem of an apple while saying the ABCs – one letter per twist. The letter you say when the stem comes off is going to be the first letter of the name of your future spouse.
yep, but it's been a long time since I've pulled the stem off an apple :)
we used to do that with the tabs on soda cans :)
OMG!! I haven't thought of that in YEARS!
Yeah. LIke since third grade. Jeez people, get a life.
Since when was reminiscing a sign of no life?
Dr., heal thyself first seems appropriate here.
Four Busch Light's an hour keeps the day from being sour.
I've heard of two superstitions, thankfully neither apply to me. If a woman is ovulating, their Hollandaise sauce will break. And if a woman is menstruating, their tomato sauce will sour. I didn't make these up. I believe even the presence of a woman in either condition in the kitchen will ruin the respective sauce. These were probably thought up by some male chef trying to keep women out of his kitchen.
I think it's more likely women invented that to avoid cooking duties for a good portion of the month
Dude, I think you're confusing ovulating and having her water break. Ovulation isn't exactly a messy thing. Women are ovulating around you every day (unless you live in a monastery, in which case, women in your kitchen is a moot point). Might be time to dust off that old junior high health book and take another crack at it.
I don't know if ovulating is correct, but the superstition can't be referring to a woman's water breaking. If her water breaks, she's not likely to keep on cooking.
If I don't get 2 Big Macs for lunch then it's a terrible horrible no good very bad day.
Only two? Be honest, now.
Well, I get it with a Chocolate Milkshake, Super Sized Fries and an Apple Pie.
ME NO PIG!
Super size me all the way, baby, cuz it's a tradition!
You should consider a move to Austrailia.
Kinda sad that over half of you buy into complete and utter horse$hit superstition. Then again I imagine a good majority of you talk to the invisible guy in the sky too so I suppose it's not that shocking.
Ah, you must talk to the invisible cat in the chair...
We're all crazy, just in different flavors.
The only thing left of our 200yr+ German heritage is absolutely pork roast & sauerkraut for New Years Day. But we'll nenver pass up a creme puff, and really want to know if that -out of-the -blue German around 1780's was a Hessian abandoned by the Brits.
My family always has pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day. I look forward to it every year :0)
Anyone that does not think Florida is a "Southern" state needs to read "The Yearling." I have a copy of "Cross Creek Cookery" as well. You couldn't get more southern than this, y'all.
Red beans and rice in NOLA. In most Asian countries New Years is celebrated with any and all foods that are round, symbolizing money.
Geographically, of course, Florida is a Southern state with a predominantly tropical climate. Culturally, it's a hybrid: coastal regions harbor Northern cultures; central/farming area are distinctly Cracker Country; Northern parts have a strong Southern influence; the Keys are heavily influenced by a mix of Caribbean cultures. Florida is truly a melting pot.
I'm in Jacksonville and it's definitely NOT Southern! Just like they say, It's the only place in America where the farther north you go, the farther south you get. We are pretty much at the top, and still nothing!
I was talking in general terms, but you are 100% right about Jax. Nothing Southern about it.
I'm from New Orleans and still live there. The New Year good luck and money food it cabbage and black-eyed peas. Not in the same pot obviously.
Red beans and rice are traditionally eaten on Monday. That goes back to the old days when Monday was wash day. You could put on a pot of red beans with salt meat seasoned with "the holy trinity of seasoning" (onion, bell pepper and celery) and simmer all day while you washed. Then when you're finished washing the beans are ready for supper so all you need to do is cook rice.
What about the King Cake at Mardis Gras all decorated in yellow, green and purple (Easter colors) with he baby in it??? Isn't that traditional and superstitious/???
Your bride should never eat Mexican food before her wedding night, lest an ill wind blow into your honeymoon.
*slow handclap*
Brilliant, my friend, brilliant.
I just spewed coffee all over my computer screen! LOL!
Skimming over and could have sworn you just said a dog farted coffee all over your computer screen. Words are hard. Carry on.
In the Filipino culture, there are a lot of supersititions which have to do with food. These are a few:
Eating long noodles on one's birthday or on New Year's means that you will have a long life.
If you sigh while you're eating, your spirit will starve.
If you hiccup while you eat, this means that you are the one who stole the eggs from the neighbor's hen.
Chickens are symbol of scarcity of food. It is unlucky to eat it on New Year's Eve because if you do, you will live like a chicken.
Bringing a sack of rice into a new home is good luck.
On New Years Day Black-eyed peas stand fo for luck, greens for money, and hog jowl for prosperity.
I grew up in the Appalachians of Georgia, and I was taught that each black-eyed pea you eat will be a penny in your pocket. The more greens you eat, the more "green" in your wallet. Finally, eating hog's jowl guaranteed you to reap from the "fat of the land."
I still observe this annually, although living in the SF Bay Area means I often substitute Gai Lan for Collards.
WHERE DO I START MY PERSONAL SUPERSTITION CABBAGE AND BLACK EYED PEAS MY MOTHER WAS FROM W VIRGINIA MY OPINION IS THAT PEOPLE ATE WHAT WAS AVAILABLE ON NEW YEARS AND IT BECAME A TRADITION THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES
Was in California several years ago on New Years Day and one of the older ladies in our group had a fit because we weren't served black-eye peas. She made the hotel go out and find some to cook them just for her. She said in her 79 years she'd never gone a New Years Day without having black-eye peas and she wasn't going to start that year.
I am Appalachian.
We eat cabbage on New Year's Day. The cabbage is cooked with a penny or dime in the pot to ensure prosperity.
Must have my black-eyed peas! They're lucky because when the Yankees came through and burned the crops they didn't burn the fields of black-eyes. At that time they weren't people-food, just cattle food. So we were 'lucky to have them'.
At least that's what they always told me growing up. And if you don't grab them prior to a couple of days before New Year's Eve you won't find 'em in a store here in Texas. We're all big believers I suppose.
You are all forgetting the fried hog jowell to go with your collard greens and black eyed peas. Or is that just an Arkansas thing?
Nope–North Georgia, too.
I can't believe corned beef & cabbage hasn't been mentioned yet! Every St. Patrick's Day just for luck;)
'Tis written: if you overeat you will get fat.
Mmpfh, mmpfh, mmpfh, mmpfh... is that a fact.
I've heard that when you peel a banana and it comes ope within an equal number it's good luck
...but I've never tried.
I always thought Judas spilled the bowl of freshly grated romano/parmesan cheese
Because of my hispanic background, Spaniards used to swallow 12 grapes on every chime of the clock at midnite, each one representing a month of the year for good luck. Why is it grapes, I'll never know . . .
I experienced that tradition for the 1st time 2 yrs ago when my fiancee took me to meet some of his Aunts, Uncles & cousins in Dallas! I tought it kind of strange myself lol...
My Cuban grandmother passed on the tradition of 12 grapes at midnight to us also. I had a hard time explaining to my Waspy in-laws why we do it, but now they do it on New Year's too. :)
Filipino people inherited this custom when the Spaniards colonized The Philippines. Grapes are considered a sign of abundance, since there are many grapes on one bunch.
Sometimes I eat the peanuts from my poop for good luck. I know I'm really lucky when I find peanuts and corn at he same time! Anyone else had this experience before?
Absurd enough to make me lol! As long as you keep swallowing the peanuts whole, I suspect you'll continue to have good luck. What's your record for recycling them? Can you get more than two rounds out of them?
I've never tried these customs but I think I'll try them this coming New Year – I need the luck. We used to twist the stem of an apple too and find out who our mate would be. Sometimes it would end up on the letter of a boy we didn't like and tease each other that he was the one the twister was going to marry.
I remember that apple thing!
You bet! That's why I never eat anything bigger than my head.
You know how the fortuen cooky is bent, with the open edges pointing the same way. you have to pick the fortune cooky that's pointing at you. Otherwise, you're getting someone else's fortune.
After you read your fortune add the words "in bed". You'd be surprised how funny some of them can be.
Weirdest fortune cookie I ever opened:
"Why not? Admit it: you're intriguied."
I was very intrigued...at what that dude was smoking when he made up this one. Would the gentleman with the fortune cookie in his hand please back away from the fungus?
The weirdest fortune I've ever gotten was "School Lunches Are Fun And Nutritious." I guess the Fortune Cookie Industry is in bed with Michelle Obama.
I got a fortune last year that said "God will give you all that you desire." How Zen...
Pork and sauerkraut on New Year's day for good luck!
Technically, collard greens are for money and black-eyed peas are for good luck :-) And don't forget the fried chicken or fried fish. I don't think the fried meat has any meaning, but its rounds our the New Year's dinner.
I wouldn't dream of not having black-eyed peas for New Year's. The only year I didn't I made SUCH a bad marriage!
I always thought the good luck from the peas included money too, but that sure explains why I don't have any! I hate collard greens but, if I don't win the lottery before Jan. 1, this year I am going to scarf those babies down like nobody's business!
We eat Pickled Herring on New Year's day for good luck.
Blech-ch-ch! Sorry about your luck.
Actually it is quite yummy. :)
We did pickled herring growing up too. My it was from my mom's family, so I'm guessing it's a Swedish thing. I would only eat a little piece every year, but my first New Year's away from home I had to track it down because it just didn't feel right without it.
My boyfried insists on black eyed peas, collard greens and corn bread... we have an interesting New Year's dinner.
I like giving knives as presents as most people I know have crappy ones. And I am always sure to tape a penny to each one. However, I was taught to do this to protect against them cutting themselves the first time they used them. :)
My Grandma believed that if you accidentally drop a fork or spoon, someone will drop in on you unexpectedly, and they'll be hungry.
"Spoon, spoon, company soon"
I'm a chef and a few years back my friend gave me a beautiful Japanese knife for Christmas. I ended up almost cutting my finger off in a freak accident. Three years later a different friend gave me the smaller version of the same knife with a penny and an explanation as to why. I've never had a problem with that one. :)
You MUST eat a New Year's Pretzel for good luck- they're pretzel shaped pastries that you have on New Year's Eve or Day. A delicious German tradition and must have dessert for New Year good luck!
The funniest (in a peverse sense) superst.itions about food can be foundin the Bible. Classic Iron Age mythology.
We used to have fun with 2 similar apple surperstitians. Twist the stem on an apple and say your ABC's. What ever letter you are on when it twists off will be the first letter of your furture mate's name. And if you peel an apple in one long peel and throw it over you shoulder, it will also form the letter of you future mate's name.
Of course we never knew if it was supposed to be first or last name so we would say it was true if it matched for either the first or last name of a boy we liked at the time.
I've heard the peeling superstition before. My piano teacher when I was little told me about it- she is from Virginia. She said she would always get a J when she tossed the peel over her shoulder. Her husband's first and last name both started with a J so who knows, maybe there's some truth :)
We would twist the stem and say the ABCs. That's the first letter of your future boyfriend's fist name. Then take the stem and hit it against the apple saying our ABCs. The letter you are on when you break the apple skin the first letter of your future boyfriend's last name. You could pretty much manipulate the last name...
You have to eat the entire fortune cookie before you read your fortune, or it won't come true!
now see I thought it was you had to eat the whole fortune cookie in order for the fortune to come true. If you didn't like the fortune, you didn't eat the cookie
Always read your fortune out loud ..... followed by the words "in bed."
If you touch someone elses fortune cookie it is no good.
You must first eat the fortune, then poop it out before you can read it.
Then add the words – in bed – . First time everyone at the table tried this I thought I'd die laughing.
It wasn't 'til my late 20's that I first heard of the collard greens & black-eyes pea @ New Year's thing. I was raised in Florida, too (sort of the South). You couldn't pay me to eat collards no matter how much bacon fat you cook 'em in, but I like black-eyed peas. It will be interesting to see what other food-er-stitions people mention.
Speak for yourself! As a second generation Floridian....we are too part of the south!! Just because you see the bright lights of Miami and the ears of The Mouse doesn't mean that we are not southern. Perhaps you need to check out small towns such as Chiefland, Micanopy, Palmetto and Odessa the next time you ride through.
There are Southern cultural influences in Florida. What I was implying was that I wasn't exposed to many of those influences growing up. Most of the Southern-style culture found up the spine (read: farm country) of Florida, whereas I grew up on the West coast. Your magnanimous capacity for understanding is greatly appreciated .... spot.
That's funny because I HATE black-eyed peas but LOVE collard greens (no fat back, please!)
Actually most of Florida is very "traditionally" southern, but most people think the whole state is like Miami (it's not). The Northern part of Fl is very much like Georgia (including the accents) & having collards & black eyed peas on New Years Day is a big tradition. Thank you Spot for knowing your geography :)
North Florida is made up of southerners... South Florida is made up of northerners...topsy turvy
Since when is Florida not part of the south? Do you people not know basic geography?
We always eat Pork and cabbage on new years day for good luck.