Food superstitions - 6 Minute English

Have you ever blown out the candles on a birthday cake and made a wish? Or thrown rice over the bride and groom at a wedding? Rob and Sam talk about food superstitions and teach you vocabulary along the way.

This week's question:
The tradition of carving pumpkins, or Jack o’ Lanterns as they’re called in the United States, started out as a Celtic festival in Ireland - but it was the Americans who started using pumpkins. So what vegetable did the Irish originally use to scare away ghosts?

a) turnips
b) potatoes
c) squash

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.

Vocabulary
superstitions
old, unscientific beliefs which are connected with magic rather than human reason

ward off
prevent someone or something from harming you; repel

evil eye
bad luck or magical spells which have the power to cause bad things to happen

blanket term
idiomatic phrase used to describe many examples of related things

chutney
foodstuff mixing fruit, spices, sugar and vinegar

teach (you) a lesson
show you what you should or should not do in the future, as a result of experience

[Cover: Getty Images]

To download the audio and a transcript, go to:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-210610

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