Food superstitions

[Gifted Gourmet]

Do you have any particular food-related superstitions?

Are they handed down from family members?

Do you persist in believing them although there may be perfectly logical reasons for the outcomes?

According to Scandinavian traditions, if a boy and girl eat from the same loaf of bread, they are bound to fall in love.

(unless they are brother and sister, of course!)

I had always been told to break the bread into three pieces representing the father, the son, and the holy spirit. I have also always been told by my older relations that if bread does not rise then evil is afoot.

When finished eating a boiled egg, push the spoon through the bottom of the empty shell to let the devil out .

The evil repelling powers of garlic is not just for vampires. Greeks believe very much in its power to keep evil away. You will usually find beautiful braids of Garlic, or some huge, one of a kind head, dangling in the entrances of shops, restaurants and homes. It is thought that garlic not only wards off the evil eye but also keeps away evil spirits and demons.

Another food superstition is that the crust of bread will give you curly hair.

Here's another fun apple myth: Peel the apple until it breaks and toss the rind. Whatever letter it forms is supposedly the first letter of your true love's name.

(The only reason I selected this forum for this topic, is that, upon reading jhlurie's definitive way to know where to post what, I saw the words "weird" and "strange", both of which made this highly appropriate!)

[binkyboots]

When finished eating a boiled egg, push the spoon through the bottom of the empty shell to let the devil out .

my mum and sister do this, but in their case so that the witches can't use it as a boat little tiny witches....

me, I have no superstitions, not for food anyway.

some others that I know though include...

twist the stalk on an apple, as you twist you do a, b, c, etc one letter per twist, the letter on which the stalk comes off is the first letter in the name of the person you'll marry.

cherry stones, to find a husband, tinker, tailor, soldier, sailor, rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief.

crusts from bread give you curly hair

carrots will make you see in the dark

always stir things clockwise

[pyrguy]

My Grandmother and Mom drew a cross on the loaf with the bread knife before cutting any loaf of bread.

[bloviatrix]

I always heard that eating the last (your choice here) will make you an old maid.

[andiesenji]

I was taught that it was bad luck to pass salt directly to another person at the table, you were supposed to place it on the table next to their plate.

Every News Years eve there would be food placed on the dining table just before midnight so that the new year would bring sufficient food.

We always had Hoppin John on New Years Day for good luck. This was introduced to the family by the cook from the lowcountry.

The table was always cleared after dinner and the tablecloth removed because of some superstition.

We were never supposed to cross our knife and fork on the plate when we were finished eating. I think it was supposed to mean there would be arguing.

And of course dropping silverware meant company was coming...........

[PoetsGirl]

My Dad always eats "green" food on New Years Day. He claims it's supposed to bring financial stability throughout the coming year.

His standard is split pea soup and collard greens; it seems to be working.

[Dignan]

Black eyed peas and collards on New Year's day for good luck.

[Marlene]

If you spill salt, throw some over your left shoulder. My mother told me the curly hair and bread crust story. I shouldv'e stopped eating my crusts sooner

[KatieLoeb]

I always heard that eating the last (your choice here) will make you an old maid.

Isn't that just 'cuz it'll make you fat?

[Turtleboy]

When I was a kid, I invented my own superstition.

At I Chinese restaurant, after reading my fortune, I wouldn't tell anyone what it said, and then I would. . . well. . . I would eat it.

Yes.

I would eat the paper fortune, b/c I believed that it was the only way to make it come true.

Or maybe b/c I thought it would gross out my little sister.

[Pickles]

I was taught that it was bad luck to pass salt directly to another person at the table, you were supposed to place it on the table next to their plate.

We had a similar rule..."pass the salt, pass the sorrow." So we always just placed the salt shaker down somewhere near the undersalted person. And I always shake it over my shoulders, both left and right, when I spill it. Silly...

[hillvalley]

At sleep away camp every Saturday for lunch we had a picnic with watermellon for dessert. The boys would have a watermellon seed spitting contest/war. The girls, being more dignified, ofcourse found something better to do with the watermellon seeds.

We would take three seeds and name them after the boys. Then, because we were dignified, we stuck the seeds on our foreheads. The seed that stuck on the longest was the boy you were going to marry.

[Hest88]

When I filet a whole, cooked fish at the table I never flip over the spine. My mom always said it was bad luck. I don't really believe it, but better to be safe...

[NulloModo]

Oh yes, the wonderful superstitions of the new years day meal...

I remember it always had to include black eyed peas, collard greens, green beans, corn bread, and a pork roast with turnips, carrots, and pearl onions. Each item brought something like wealth, vitality, etc, but I don't remember what was tied to what anymore...

[Pan]

When I filet a whole, cooked fish at the table I never flip over the spine. My mom always said it was bad luck.

My ex-girlfriend used to say that.

My mother and grandmother (her mother) used to say that eating carrots was necessary to see in the dark.

I don't believe I have any food superstitions.

Gifted, where are all those quotes from?

Fun thread!

[KatieLoeb]

Can anyone confirm or deny that boiling wine corks with octopus makes them more tender? I think this is a pretty wide spread custom/superstition amongst Mediterranean peoples that eat a lot of octopus (i.e. Greeks, Spaniards, Portugese).

I guess in the end it's kind of like of like what Grandma used to say about chicken soup, "It couldn't Hurt!"

[Gifted Gourmet]

Gifted, where are all those quotes from?

Fun thread! 

Thanks for saying that! I think it is always fun to find things people don't actually talk about and then get into a great, stimulating discussion!

Where did they come from? you asked ... actually a number of sites .. some Greek, some Scandinavian, etc. I didn't do links for them because there were too many ... but if you use "food superstitions" as your search words, you will locate a lot of interesting ones! or there is this which will get you started: the link

Fascinating reading, to me anyway!

[Pan]

Katie:

The cork taste doesn't leach into the dish?

Edited June 28, 2004 by Pan (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

Can anyone confirm or deny that boiling wine corks with octopus makes them more tender?  I think this is a pretty wide spread custom/superstition amongst Mediterranean peoples that eat a lot of octopus (i.e. Greeks, Spaniards, Portugese).

I guess in the end it's kind of like of like what Grandma used to say about chicken soup, "It couldn't Hurt!"

seeing is believing! this is just one of many using wine corks ...

seems everyone does it .. even Iron Chef!

Edited June 28, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[KatieLoeb]

Katie:

The cork taste doesn't leach into the dish?

Apparently not. This is something I've read about/heard about in many different sources. It's said that there's some sort of chemical reaction between the cork and the water that tenderizes the normally bicycle-tire-textured octupus flesh and makes it better once cooked further either by grilling or braising.

I think there might be some connection between the fact that the cultures that claim this works are also wine producing nations.

HERE'S an interesting link that also suggest doing the same.

And Another.

Can this many generations of Mediterranean chefs be wrong?

[Gifted Gourmet]

I think there might be some connection between the fact that the cultures that claim this works are also wine producing nations.

The stumbling block, according to reigning "wisdom," is that octopus is so tough that extraordinary measures must be taken to tenderize it. And if you ask five different people what these measures are you are likely to get five different answers, all arcane - which goes a long way toward explaining why no one cooks octopus at home. A Greek cook may tell you to beat it against some rocks (actually a contemporary would probably tell you to throw it against the kitchen sink repeatedly). A Spanish cook will dip it into boiling water three times, then cook it in a copper pot - only copper will do. An Italian might cook it with two corks. The Japanese rub it all over with salt, or knead it with grated daikon, then slice the meat at different angles, with varying strokes.

These methods work, but so does cooking octopus slowly, with no further ado. No one wants rubbery octopus (although sushi-style octopus is nearly rubbery), but if octopus is properly handled, without fuss, it is reasonably tender. It remains chewy, but so does lobster, or sirloin steak.

from Mark Bittman, October, 1999 ... the cork tannin softens the animal, as I understand it...

[chefdg]

Can anyone confirm or deny that boiling wine corks with octopus makes them more tender? I think this is a pretty wide spread custom/superstition amongst Mediterranean peoples that eat a lot of octopus (i.e. Greeks, Spaniards, Portugese).

I guess in the end it's kind of like of like what Grandma used to say about chicken soup, "It couldn't Hurt!"

My theory is that the octopus has been tenderized with the empty bottle who's wine in now in the pot, boiling with the cork of coarse, waiting for the octopus. One pot cookery.

[chefdg]

A fluff-er-nutter cannot be fully enjoyed without a glass of milk.

[KatieLoeb]

Can anyone confirm or deny that boiling wine corks with octopus makes them more tender?  I think this is a pretty wide spread custom/superstition amongst Mediterranean peoples that eat a lot of octopus (i.e. Greeks, Spaniards, Portugese).

I guess in the end it's kind of like of like what Grandma used to say about chicken soup, "It couldn't Hurt!"

My theory is that the octopus has been tenderized with the empty bottle who's wine in now in the pot, boiling with the cork of coarse, waiting for the octopus. One pot cookery.

I'd buy that theory, except that none of the recipes I've read say "add wine to pot"

And all the recipes I've read just say "add a cork" not "add a RED wine cork" to the pot, so the tannin theory is blown too.

I think the wine might be in the chef's gullet, in which case anything would taste good after a whole bottle of wine

[aprilmei]

When I filet a whole, cooked fish at the table I never flip over the spine. My mom always said it was bad luck. I don't really believe it, but better to be safe...

I've also been told this. I think it comes from Chinese fishermen, who believe that if you flip the fish over, it will make their boat turn over.

And of course, every Chinese child hears that you have to eat every last grain of rice in your bowl or else your future spouse will have a pockmark on his/her face for every grain you left behind.