From blowing out birthday candles to breaking a wishbone in half, we all take part in culinary superstitions and food folk practices, many of which are so common that we don’t even think about them. What are the origins of these beliefs and traditions? In time for spooky season, we rounded up some of the most intriguing food and drink-related practices and superstitions from around the globe.

1. Gifting a knife could end a friendship

According to Chinese lore, gifting a knife to a friend could also sever your relationship. To avoid the risk of cutting ties, give your recipient a coin so they can “buy” the knife you’d like to present to them. 

2. Two yolks could be better than one

In Europe starting in the Roman Empire and continuing up until the 16th century, it was believed that witches could sail in eggshells through storms and sink ships. (How eggs-citing!) To prevent this, sailors would smash the shells or prohibit bringing eggs on board altogether. In Roman folklore, finding two yolks in one egg foretold the birth of twins or pending marriage. 

3. Garlic can repel evil spirits

Thanks to Dracula, garlic’s reputation for warding off vampires is well-known in popular culture. But it is also believed to repel other evil spirits and demons. In Greece, where it’s an essential ingredient in delicious dips like tzatziki, braids of garlic are often seen hanging over the entrances of homes, restaurants, and stores to stave off evil.

4. Spilled salt is a bad omen

What’s more universal than salt? It seasons everything from pasta water to chocolate chip cookies — and it’s associated with more than a few superstitions. Several cultures throw spilled salt over their left shoulder to ward off evil spirits, and in the U.S. some people even crawl under the table as an extra step.

In ancient Rome, salt was considered a good omen for friendship on account of its preservative properties. Gifting salt to new homeowners is also considered a blessing in Scotland. In Slavic and some non-Slavic countries, bread and salt serve as a welcome offering; the bread is a sign of respect and salt represents longevity. This tradition has even gone to space: Soviet astronauts welcomed American astronauts aboard the Mir space station and later aboard the International Space Station with bread and salt.

5. Noodles portend a long life

In a tradition that dates back to the Han dynasty, birthdays, anniversaries, and Chinese New Year celebrations call for eating longevity noodles for good luck, prosperity, and a long life. Cutting noodles, whether with your teeth or a knife, means cutting life short, so it’s best to slurp them whole.

6. A wishbone is meant to be broken in half

According to Panati’s Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, the custom of breaking a wishbone in half originated with the Etruscans, who considered chickens fortuitous and even kept them in temples. When a sacred chicken died, the wishbone was removed, dried, and stored on an altar for worshippers to touch while making a wish.

Historians speculate that people fought over these religious relics, which eventually led to their breaking the bones in two. Breaking the wishbone came to be the point of the practice: the person with the larger piece would have their wish granted; if the bone broke into equal halves, both individuals would get their wish. This belief made its way to England, where the bone was called a “merrythought,” and eventually the practice spread to the U.S.

7. Candles belong on a birthday cake

We all know it’s important to make a wish and blow out the candles on your birthday cake. (And ideally in one breath, so that they’ll come true.) But where does this superstition come from? According to Nicola Humble, author of Cake: A Global History, as early as 200 AD, the Greeks offered round cakes decorated with small torches resembling a luminous full moon to Artemis, goddess of the moon and hunt.

During the Middle Ages, according to Cake: A Slice of History by Alyssa Levene, the German tradition of Kinderfest popularized candles on birthdays. On their birthday, a child was thought to be more vulnerable to evil spirits, so a candle called the “lebenslicht” (meaning “light of life”) was burned throughout the day. After the evening meal, the child made a wish before blowing out the candle, just before slicing and eating the cake, while the smoke was believed to transport the child’s intentions to heaven. The tradition spread throughout Europe and eventually made its way to the United States with German-speaking immigrants.

8. Chiles could protect you

In southern Italy, the cornicello, a symbol that looks not unlike a red chile pepper (but which has more in common with goat horns and the Priapic art of antiquity) is worn as a necklace or even carried as a talisman to protect against the evil eye. Perhaps because of their visual similarity to cornicelli, strings of fresh red chiles can be found hanging from doorways or balconies throughout the Mezzogiorno. Similarly, in India, seven green chiles and a lemon are tied together and hung in the doorways of homes and businesses to ward off evil spirits and bring forth good luck.

9. Puffed tortillas could mean wedding bells

When a corn tortilla puffs during the cooking process, it’s a sign that the nixtamalized dough is adequately hydrated. But did you know it’s also thought to foretell a wedding in Mexican culture? If a flour tortilla puffs up, it’s believed that your mother-in-law holds you in high esteem.

10. Parsley: to hell and back

For such an innocuous herb, parsley sure has an intriguing set of superstitions. According to lore, the herb’s slow germination — up to six weeks longer than basil (10–14 days) and rosemary (2–4 weeks) — can be explained by a story that the seeds take a trip to hell and back before sprouting from the soil. Among the ancient Greeks and Romans, this story led to an association with the underworld.

The Greeks thought the herb grew from the blood of a baby, Opheltes (later called Archemorus, meaning “Harbinger of Death”), who was killed by a snake. They would also decorate tombs with wreaths made from parsley. The Romans, meanwhile, related the herb with the goddess Persephone, queen of the underworld. And in medieval Europe, parsley was associated with demonic forces as represented by “the parsley spirit.” If a young lady gave away parsley, she would be unlucky in love. And if she stole a spring from another’s garden, she could regain it. In England, it was taboo to transplant parsley, an act said to spread misfortune. “Transplant parsley,” went the saying, “transplant sorrow.”

11. Throwing rice at weddings could aid in fertility

If you’ve ever thrown rice at a wedding, you can thank the ancient Romans. At the time, grains such as oats or wheat were thrown onto newlyweds after wedding ceremonies to presage fertility, prosperity, and good fortune. Eventually, rice became the most popular grain to throw. And, despite rumors otherwise, birds don’t mind either.

12.  Exactly 12 grapes should be eaten at midnight

On New Year’s Eve in Spain and throughout Latin America, it’s customary to eat 12 grapes during the last 12 seconds before the stroke of midnight. Each grape represents one month, and eating them represents hope for prosperity and good luck throughout the new year.

13. Thirteen people at a table is bad luck

Triskaidekaphobia, or fear of the number 13, isn’t reserved for Friday the 13th. Some say this superstition stems from the Last Supper, as Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, was believed to be the thirteenth guest.

According to National Geographic, another origin tale comes from Norse religion: 12 gods held a feast in Valhalla that included Balder, the god of light, and Hoder, the god of darkness and winter. However, Loki, the Norse pantheon’s trickster god, arrived to the party uninvited, making the number of guests 13. Loki then tricked Hoder into slaying Balder, an event that foretold Ragnarök, the end of the world. An unlucky feast, indeed.