13 Food Superstitions
By Anna
@LadyDuck (471253)
Switzerland
July 12, 2018 8:39am CST
As Friday 13th, is approaching, I thought it could be interesting to share some superstitions.
The following are all superstitions about food.
1 - spilling salt on the table brings bad luck. As a remedy, throw salt over your left shoulder with your right hand.
2 - do not offer a hot pepper to a friend, this will bring discord into your friendship.
3 - when you serve tea, never pour milk before sugar, or you will never get married.
4 - do not offer a knife as a gift, this gesture symbolize "cutting ties".
5 - a large bubble in a bread loaf announce that someone you know will die.
6 - garlic not only protect from vampires but also from the curse of an evil eye.
7 - long noodles represent long life. Do not cut noodles short.
8 - if you go fishing, do not bring bananas on a fishing boat or you will fish nothing.
9 - do not turn the bread upside down on the table, this is considered a rude gesture.
10 - two yolks in the same eggs, means that someone you know will have twins.
11 - If you want to avoid rain, bury Bourbon on the wedding site.
12 - catch the bubbles floating on the top of your coffee to earn more money.
13 - offer an orange to someone, if you want that he/she fells in love with you.
Do you know food superstitions to share?
104 people like this
99 responses
@LovingMyBabies (85288)
• Valdosta, Georgia
12 Jul 18
I think I have only heard the ones you shared and some of those are new to me also. So silly! Lol.
10 people like this
@LadyDuck (471253)
• Switzerland
21 Jul 18
@DeborahDiane May be in the past they were very good in making people believe old tales.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40288)
• Laguna Woods, California
21 Jul 18
@LadyDuck - I agree. You wonder what happened to cause people to believe these things are true.
2 people like this
@sprite1950 (30452)
• Corsham, England
18 Jul 18
I don't think I've ever had a bad Friday13th and the only food superstition I can think of that you haven't listed is grapes for a sweet or sour life. I eat a lot but I can't think my life has been particularly sweet or sour, a bit of both sometimes.
1 person likes this
@sprite1950 (30452)
• Corsham, England
20 Jul 18
@LadyDuck I like all that. There is very little that I won't eat although I can't stand sauerkraut 
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@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
13 Jul 18
i saw Rachel Ward throwing some salt with her right hand over her left shoulder. i sometimes do that.
also when a pregnant woman eats banana twins (2 in 1) she will have twins. garlic we know protects us from evil entities, and it can also be used to control toothache. and of course, noodles means long life.
3 people like this
@ridingbet (66854)
• Philippines
13 Jul 18
@LadyDuck yes, and when a tray of spaghetti is prepared by my sister, we use our fork to twirl the pasta, the usual way of spaghetti eating.
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@LadyDuck (471253)
• Switzerland
13 Jul 18
@ridingbet All Italians twirl the spaghetti for eating, there is not another way to go.
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@responsiveme (22926)
• India
12 Jul 18
I know the no 1, for no 2 it's chillies ,did you mean that type of pepper...So we give a little bit of sugar too if we are distributing chillies among friends.
On the other hand when we give some cooked food at night,we include a chilli to ward off the ghosts who may want to taste the food....
Well I don't really do that but know lots who do
4 people like this
@LadyDuck (471253)
• Switzerland
12 Jul 18
@responsiveme I also try not to do things that could upset superstitious people. My niece is a bit superstitious, I would never make a toast with a glass of water.
3 people like this
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
12 Jul 18
@LadyDuck I meant if we give cooked food
to neighbours or friends which is carried outside the house after sun sets, I was not clear earlier.
If I see the person is superstitious then I do add a chilli with the stuff they will carry away.
By myself not superstitious as such....Maybe a bit
Like not cutting hair or nails on Thursday...Hu by is not at all superstitous
4 people like this
@Shellyann36 (11384)
• United States
13 Jul 18
I have never heard of any of these. They are very interesting though. Thank you for sharing. I did know that salt over the shoulder was supposed to bring good luck or something of the sort, now I see it is meant to stop bad luck.
1 person likes this
@Shellyann36 (11384)
• United States
17 Jul 18
@LadyDuck Oh, I did not know that was what it was for. Thank you for clearing that up.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471253)
• Switzerland
17 Jul 18
@Shellyann36 The ancient Roman soldiers were paid with salt, from this the term "salary" because of the payment in salt.
1 person likes this
@CaptAlbertWhisker (32691)
• Calgary, Alberta
30 Sep 18
The Noodles thing is part of the Chinese culture they believe long noodles can make your life longer. Sticky foods like mochi and some asian rice cakes are believed to make families closer and stick together.
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@CaptAlbertWhisker (32691)
• Calgary, Alberta
30 Sep 18
@LadyDuck I think almost people around the world follows that tradition. In Filipino Chinese culture, they use 12 round fruits for a lucky whole year.
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@LadyDuck (471253)
• Switzerland
30 Sep 18
@CaptAlbertWhisker And we have "no women as first person to come in a house" on the first day of the year.
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
24 Oct 19
The Irish Bracen cake for Halloween has various items inside such as a ring or rag wrapped in greaseproof paper and they mean things such as you will marry or you wont.
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@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
24 Oct 19
@LadyDuck Oh yes I personally have never eaten a cake with anything in it. We would want to protect our teeth
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@LadyDuck (471253)
• Switzerland
24 Oct 19
@TiarasOceanView I have a collection of those nice ceramic things that they put in the 3 Kings Cake.
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@DeborahDiane (40288)
• Laguna Woods, California
20 Jul 18
@LadyDuck - I think you listed all the food superstitions I can think of. I'll have to remember that one about the orange!
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471253)
• Switzerland
22 Jul 18
@DeborahDiane I would have not dared to make Escargots as first meal. I now know that my husband likes, but most people are disgusted.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40288)
• Laguna Woods, California
21 Jul 18
@LadyDuck - I think apple pie is a wonderful way to win the heart of any man. The first meal I made for my future husband was Escargo. However, I didn't rinse the snails well enough before I put them in the shells, so they were sandy and gritty when we bit into them! LOL
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
18 Jul 18
Haha! Well I have heard of some of these but they are all very interesting and too funny. I must have turned that bread around a few times so maybe someone somewhere thinks I'm rude. Not too worried about it though!
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@LadyDuck (471253)
• Switzerland
25 Jul 18
@MarymargII I did not know either about "bubbles in the coffee", may be because in Italy we make espresso coffee and this kind of coffee has no bubbles on top.
1 person likes this
@MarymargII (12422)
• Toronto, Ontario
25 Jul 18
@LadyDuck Well that's a new one on me but many others I have heard before but not the orange, hot pepper and bubbles in the coffee!
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@arunima25 (87764)
• Bangalore, India
13 Jul 18
Very interesting ones!! Thanks for sharing. In our culture, we don't give chillies in hand as it brings discord in relationship.
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@LadyDuck (471253)
• Switzerland
13 Jul 18
@arunima25 This is something considered so rude that nobody does.
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@arunima25 (87764)
• Bangalore, India
13 Jul 18
@LadyDuck In our culture licking fingers after meal is supposed to invite poverty.
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@much2say (55498)
• Los Angeles, California
12 Jul 18
I think more of my Japanese side when it comes to food superstitions - at least that's what I grew up with.
Don't stand chopsticks in a bowl of rice - that's only for someone who has passed (how it is served on their altar). Don't "round" the rice in a bowl for the same reason.
Don't pass your food from chopstick to chopstick with someone else (that symbolizes how they pass bones at a cremation ceremony).
There are these sweet black beans we eat for New Year's - sometimes there is a gold one in it. My mom used to say eat 'em and you will have good fortune.
When drinking tea, if a little tea stem stands up at the bottom of the cup, that means good luck.
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
22 Jul 18
Wow very interesting! I have never heard of any of those superstitions or know of any food ones.
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@infatuatedbby (94914)
• United States
23 Jul 18
@LadyDuck Nope! I did break noodles earlier this month to fit in the pot :P
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@Kasjnak (4489)
• Romania
13 Jul 18
Knew most of them, but never heard about numbers 8, 11, 12 and 13. Actually, I think that the one with the banana is quite funny . I want to test it, next time I go fishing I'll bring some bananas. Maybe I'll throw one in the water to lure a fish or two .
. I want to test it, next time I go fishing I'll bring some bananas. Maybe I'll throw one in the water to lure a fish or two .1 person likes this
. And does it matter if those bananas were red bananas?