5 Funny Latin Food Superstitions

Superstitious beliefs are sometimes funny and can exist in a lot of ways – even into the way you prepare food in the kitchen.

Superstition is defined as “a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation,” according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. As it is, these beliefs can be somewhat weird and, at times, funny.

Here are some funny Latino food superstitions that people believe in.

Salt

Salt, which is used for almost anything about food, is believed to cause bad luck when spilled while cooking, says The Latin Kitchen.

To nullify its “effects” when it is accidentally spilled, throw some of it over your left shoulder using your right hand. Why? Because it is believed that it will blind the devil behind you. It's most likely that guy will be the one causing “bad luck” to you anyway.

Peppers

These little hotrods are said to be dangerous to friendships when handed over the wrong way, says the Cooking Channel. While people usually give things to others hand-to-hand, the “proper” way to do it is to place the pepper on a table so that your friends will just pick it up from there.

Knives

Knives are surely helpful in cutting off parts of meat that you won't need for that family recipe but superstition has it that knives are not supposed to be given as a gift, says The Kitchn. Why? Because it believed in different places around the world (including China and Europe) that giving a knife is symbolic of “cutting the friendship” between the giver and the receiver. Sheesh.

To nullify that, it is said that the giver of the knife will offer it with a penny attached. The receiver then returns the penny. This act is believed to “preserve” their relationship. Probably the receiver would have wanted that penny too, don't you think?

Birthday Cake Candles

While others would want the candles to symbolize the number of years the celebrant is celebrating (what about those 100-year-old grandpas?), ancient Greeks believe that candles on a birthday cake wards off all sorts of evils, says the Cooking Channel. As an added bonus, blowing them off all at once is believed to bring good luck.

Eggs

It is believed that eggs bring about fertility. When you get an egg with two yolks, superstition believes you'll probably get a twin.

Farmers in the olden days also sprinkled egg shells in their farm soil to bring about a good harvest. What about the egg itself? They probably ate it, of course.