Whether or not you believe that garlic keeps vampires away, you can probably agree that there are some time-honored, food-focused myths, legends and superstitions handed down from generation to generation.

Each lore is based in a different world locale, but each is supposedly rooted in truth at some point in history. Some of food folklore is associated with holidays, some with medicinal properties and others are plain mysterious from their beginnings to modern day.

Let’s take a look as some common food legends and superstitions and you can decide for yourself to believe or not.

Eggs

European farmers scattered broken eggs into their fields in hopes of a better crop, as eggs are considered a symbol of fertility.

If you break open an egg and find a double yolk, it means that someone you know will be getting married and pregnant with twins.

According to Huffington Post, when you crack an egg, make sure to crush the eggshell or at least crack the end — otherwise, as legend has it, a witch will gather up the pieces and set sail to cause terrible storms at sea.

If you crack an egg and there’s a black spot on the yolk, it’s a bad omen.

In El Salvador, you can tell your New Year’s fortune by cracking an egg into a glass at midnight and leaving it in the window overnight. By morning it will form into a shape and help you discover your fortune. (Just how does that work?)

The English believe that after you’re done eating a soft-cooked egg, you need to push the spoon through the bottom of the shell to let out the devil.

Bread

If you slice a loaf of bread and find a hole inside, it means someone will die soon, as the air bubble is said to represent a coffin.

Cooking Channel TV notes that the cross that’s etched into the top of many crusty bread loaves is supposed to help keep the devil from ruining your loaf by sitting on it, as he’s scared of the cross symbol.

In Russia, be careful not to waste bread. It’s said that when you die, all the wasted bread will be weighed and that will determine your entry into heaven or hell. If the lifetime of waste weighs in more than your body, you’re on your way to hell.

According to Romanian legend, if you eat all the corners of your bread, you will have a good relationship with your mother-in-law.

Gum

Likely when you were young, a parent may have told you that if you swallowed your chewing gum, it will lodge in your stomach and take about seven years to digest. It’s clearly a major incentive for careful chewing and disposal, but the truth is that the stomach empties itself in about thirty to 120 minutes after eating, including any errant chewing gum. So, it really doesn’t build up in your gut for seven years, as warned. However, there are elements of chewing gum that are indigestible, but that doesn’t stop it from passing through the system.

In Turkey, if you’re chewing gum at night, it’s said to be the flesh of the dead (ewww!).

Cola

You’ve probably heard that Coke can dissolve metal (or more specifically a penny or a nail) overnight. Like many sodas, Coke does contain phosphoric acid, and it can soften tooth enamel over time, but so can the acids in other foods, like orange juice and coffee, if you don’t brush your teeth regularly. So, if you want to dissolve pennies, soaking them in Coke may not be the quickest way to do so. Though we’re certain your dentist would approve of perpetuating this concept so the fear might make you think twice as you sip soda.

Another legend surrounding Coca Cola is that it contains cocaine … not true (now). However, it did at one time contain traces of cocaine, but not since the extraction process was perfected in 1929. Coke contains extracts from the coca plant, which is also where cocaine comes from.

Potatoes

You may have heard that eating potatoes with tinges of green can kill you. Unless you plan to eat 67 green potatoes at once, chances are good that you’ll be just fine. The spuds do contain solanine, a natural protector from insects and predators, and consuming too much of it can produce gastrointestinal problems and paralysis, but the quantity you’d have to consume for that to happen is far beyond the quantity of an average meal.

Pop Rocks

Rumor has it that eating Pop Rock candy with carbonated soda will cause your stomach to explode. Sorry, kids, it’s a myth. You may feel a bit gassy, but the organ will remain intact.

Same is true if you mix Coke with Mentos candy — burp!

Turkey

If you’ve been flat out snoring on the couch after a hefty Thanksgiving meal, you may be tempted to believe that turkey makes you sleepy. But in reality it contains smaller amounts of tryptophan (an amino acid often blamed for the snooze) than other meats and veggies, and the post-holiday dinner coma is more likely the result of ingesting large quantities of potatoes, stuffing and other carbs in combination with alcohol.

Garlic

Although it is effective as a natural mosquito repellent, the benefits of garlic to repel vampires are mired in science fiction from the novel “Dracula.”

While wearing it around your neck may keep away unwanted advances, as well as mosquitoes, its effect on vampires is seriously inconclusive. Because, well, it’s hard to find vampires to test this theory on.

Onions

To chase away bad spirits, stick a pin into an onion and set it on your windowsill.

The tears from cutting an onion are said to be cleansing the eyes.

Bananas

Never cut a banana with a knife, as doing so is said to cause bad luck.

Never bring bananas on a fishing boat, as the vessel will never catch any fish, or worse yet, it may get lost at sea.

Salt

If you spill salt, it’s considered bad luck, but to counteract the spell, you can simply use your right hand to toss a pinch over your left shoulder. This simple act throws it into the eyes of the devil allegedly lurking behind.

Never hand a salt shaker to a fellow diner — instead, place it on the table between you and remove your hand. Otherwise the hand-to-hand transfer is said to bring bad luck.

Fox News reports that in Hungary, salt is sprinkled on the entrance of a new home to keep evil spirits away.

Apples

We know that an apple a day is said to keep the doctor away, but did you know that slicing an apple and counting seeds is alleged to predict the number of children in your future?

At the Jewish New Year, people dip apples into honey to symbolize the hopes of a sweet year to come.

Next time you peel an apple for pie making, peel the fruit continuously until the skin breaks, then toss it onto the counter to see what letter is formed. This is said to be the first letter in the name of your Prince Charming.

Tea

It’s said to be bad luck if two people pour tea from the same pot. The Times of India warns that if you lift the lid to check on the tea, a stranger will visit your home soon (maybe to enjoy some tea).

If you put milk into tea before sugar, it’s said that you’ll never marry.

Undissolved sugar in the bottom of the cup means someone is in love with you. (Or, perhaps you didn’t stir it enough.)

Coffee

If there are bubbles in your coffee, catch them with a spoon and eat them, and you’ll soon come into money.

Wine

In Italy, spilling wine or champagne is considered bad luck if you don’t immediately dab some of it behind your ears to alleviate the curse.

Hot peppers

If you’re cooking with a friend, never hand a hot pepper to them — superstition has it that it will bring discord to the friendship. Instead, set it on the counter and let them pick it up.

Rice

Throwing rice on newlyweds is said to bring the couple good health, wealth and prosperity. (And make a mess.)

In China, the number of rice kernels you leave in your bowl is said to correspond to the number of freckles and moles on your face (not a desirable trait).

Basil

According to Greek superstition, sniffing basil could make a scorpion appear in your brain.

Parsley

Planting parsley seeds is said to help a woman become pregnant.

Never bring parsley to a dinner party, as gifting it brings bad luck. (Perhaps wine is a better option.)

Noodles

In China, long noodles symbolize long life, so never cut the noodles, as that means you’re cutting your life short. Instead, just slurp without breaking.

Peanuts

Never eat peanuts at any type of performance. That could be bad luck for the performers.

Wish bone

Most of us are familiar with this Thanksgiving tradition of using our pinkies to break the wishbone with a friend or family member. The one who gets the biggest section from the tug of war is said to have good luck or they can make a wish, depending on which you believe.

Birthday cake

Singing happy birthday and blowing out candles began with the Greeks who thought that these chased away evil spirits. Today, it’s believed that blowing out all the candles will make a wish come true.

Black-eyed peas

Superstitions online explains the New Year’s tradition that legumes, when eaten with greens, are believed to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year. The peas symbolize coins, and the greens symbolize money and good fortune.

Grapes

Eating 12 grapes one by one at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve symbolizes each month of the year. If the grape is sweet, that particular month will be a good one. If the grape is sour, it will be a bad month.

Eat with care, as it could readily determine your future.

— Reporter: gwizdesigns@aol.com