Here are some fun food facts and interesting superstitions for the Abroadco program cities!
Bad news for those of you studying France! It is bad luck to eat bread fresh out of the oven. If you do, you may be a victim of immediate misfortune.
However, if you want curly hair, you should eat the bread crusts.
Many countries in Europe put a piece of bread in a bride’s shoe. This is said to bring her children in her married life.
Ever wonder where the Baker’s Dozen came from? Here’s the scoop. In Europe 12th or 13th century, Bakers were nailed to their doorstop by the ear if they were selling “light-weight loaves” (loaves with big air holes). So they would give the shops 13 loaves instead of 12. The 
shopkeeper would slice off a portion of the thirteenth loaf and add it to the full loaf.
The History of the Croissant. In the 1600’s Turks invaded Vienna but were driven out. The Viennese then made crescent shaped pastries to celebrate. The crescent shape symbolized the Turkish flag as the Viennese swallowed the enemy by eating the crescent shaped pastry. Marie Antoinette (Queen of France) then introduced them to French bakers, who altered the recipe slightly to create today’s croissant.
In Europe, the salt and pepper shakers are placed in front of the guest at dinner as a promise of goodwill.
In Italy, rue is used to ward off the evil eye.
In Germany, eating sauerkraut on New Year’s Day is said to bring wealth, good health and other good fortune to the home.
In Europe, the egg was thought to bring life to various crops. Farmers would take an egg into the field to ensure that the grain would sprout and grow well.
In Europe, eggs are used to tell fortunes. An egg with a double yolk means an impending marriage, an egg with a dark spot on the yolk symbolizes a bad omen, and an egg without a yolk is plain old unlucky.
In China, they serve up a whole fish on New Year’s Day to ensure bounty throughout the year.
In Greece, Italy and Germany, the pig was believed to have magical qualities.
If you’re ever having a bad day, maybe you can chalk it up to what you ate and one of the above superstitions.
- Cassandra Trachy