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The Food Chain

Factual: Food & Drink

Examining what it takes to put food on your plate

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.

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The Food Chain: What's food got to do with destiny?

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What's food got to do with destiny?

24/12/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - The Food Chain, What's food got to do with destiny?

The power of superstition, ritual and the belief in magic

The power of superstition, ritual and the belief in magic when it comes to food.

What is it about garlic that wards off the evil eye? Why is rice sometimes thrown over the happy couple at a wedding?

The way we grow, eat and use certain foods is said to bring us luck - good or bad - but why do we imbue them with these mystical powers, and why do these beliefs persist?

Tamasin Ford explores some of the most common and also unusual food superstitions practiced around the world.

Producers: Simon Tulett and Sarah Stolarz

(Picture: Two hands pulling a wishbone. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)

Contributors:

Jayanti 'Jonty' Rajagopalan, owner of Detours India, Hyderabad;
Mae Azango, journalist with FrontPage Africa, Liberia;
Tasha Marks, food historian, London.

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