L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano Y es, we Italians are supersti- tious. Give us a ladder and we'll n e v e r w a l k underneath it, give us a hat and it'll never make its way on our bed. There are superstitions f o r e v e r y c o r n e r o f t h e house, believe me, but per- haps there is no place like t h e k i t c h e n t o m a k e o r break your deal with luck. Shall we take a look at what we can and cannot do in cucina to keep the Fortune on our good side? I think it'd be a good idea! C a n n o t ! S p i l l i n g olive oil We call olive oil "liquid gold" in Italy, and that says a lot about how important it is not only in our kitchen, but in our culture. Making o l i v e o i l i s l a b o r i o u s , i t takes time and sacrifice, even more so back 3500 years before Christ when, in fact, Man began produc- ing it. While the Egyptians and the Assyrians already knew about olive oil mak- ing, it was the Greeks that made of it a business: in those early times, most of the oil produced went to the olive groves' owners – who would sell most of it – and whatever was left went to their workers: needless to say, spilling oil while you were making it was a no- no, because it meant there was less for you to bring home. This is why spilling olive oil is still considered today a sign of misfortune. The only way to stop the curse? Grab some salt and throw it behind your shoul- der and, just to be on the safe side, sprinkle it in the s h a p e o f a c r o s s o n t h e spillage. Can! Have Wine Who doesn't love a glass of red every now and then? W e l l , i n I t a l y , a n d a b i t everywhere around south- e r n E u r o p e , w i n e i s a s much of a diet staple as olive oil is. There are a lot of interesting superstitions a r o u n d w i n e , b u t g u e s s what: they all attract luck! T h i n k a b o u t i t : w h a t d o y o u d o w h e n a s h i p i s l a u n c h e d t o e n s u r e i t i s lucky? You break a bottle of b u b b l y a g a i n s t i t s b o w . And what about New Year's Eve, how do we all cele- b r a t e t h e c o m i n g o f t h e n e w y e a r ? W i t h w i n e . F u n n i l y e n o u g h , e v e n spilling it is a well-wishing o c c u r r e n c e , e v e n i f w e don't why: if it gets on your best tablecloth, don't get upset, just dab your finger in the stain and then on your neck, it's said to bring fortune. C a n n o t ! P u t t h e bread upside down on the table Don't even think about it: putting a loaf of bread upside down on the table – and even passing it upside d o w n t o s o m e o n e - - a l w a y s t r a n s l a t e s i n t o tragedy, or so the supersti- tious say. It is also consid- ered disrespectful towards t h e o t h e r p e o p l e e a t i n g w i t h y o u . T h e r e a s o n s behind this belief are two, apparently, one religious and one historical: bread, those among you who went t o C a t h o l i c S c h o o l m a y remember, symbolizes the body of Christ, so putting it u p s i d e d o w n i s n o t h i n g s h o r t o f b e i n g b l a s p h e - mous, just like drawing a c r o s s w i t h t h e h e a d towards the ground. The historical reason brings us back all the way to France, in the 15 th century, when executions were carried out by – burly, we imagine – executioners. Truth is, they were detested by everyone and gathered little respect in society, so much so bak- ers would sell to them only the worst of their bread. K i n g C h a r l e s V I I g o t annoyed and proclaimed in an edict bakers had to treat executioners like everyone e l s e , l e s t t h e y e n d e d u p with their head chopped off. Faced with the risk of death, they had to accept GIULIA FRANCESCHINI the king's orders, but they found a way to show their disgust anyway: they would pass bread loaves to execu- tioners upside down. And that's how our superstition was born. Cannot! Cross your cutlery Whether you are placing it on the table or in your plate after finishing a good meal, make sure you never cross your cutlery. Just like upside down bread, there are religious reasons: crossed cutlery looks like, well, a cross, and we don't want to get the big guys up i n t h e S k i e s u p s e t . B u t there are also historical reasons and, guess what, t h e y c o m e f r o m F r a n c e a g a i n : d u r i n g l u x u r i o u s banquets at court, crossing c u t l e r y w a s b e l i e v e d t o symbolize fights between diners, as they were remi- niscent of swords crossing during battle. C a n ! L o o k a t e a c h other in the eye while making a toast You may do it without even noticing. Looking others in the eye while making a toast, that is. The tradition has ancient his- torical roots: in the past, it wasn't unknown of people being offed at the dinner t a b l e w i t h p o i s o n , a n d that's precisely why many kings had official "tasters" for their food. Looking a person in the eye is a sign o f h o n e s t y , b e c a u s e t h e eyes are the mirror of the soul so, at least in theory, it's hard to lie when you stare into someone's peep- ers. C a n ! M a k e a w i s h while having the first of something seasonal T h i s i s n i c e t o k n o w , especially because of the season we are in. Tradition s a y s t h a t , w h e n y o u a r e having the first of a fruit i n t h e s e a s o n ( t h e f i r s t cherry, the first strawberry, t h e f i r s t p e a c h … ) , y o u should make a wish: it will come true by the end of the year! Never ever cross your cutlery! It attracts bad luck! (Photo: Inuella365/Dreamstime) Spilling oil, upside-down bread and making a wish while eating fruit: what you can and cannot do in an Italian kitchen LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE

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