Why do people throw SALT over there shoulder,when they are cooking?what does that mean?

Question

where did or originate from?

Answer 1

over your left shoulder to throw salt in the eye of the demon that is there

http://ask.yahoo.com/20031006.html Superstitions about salt date back to biblical times when salt was a highly prized commodity. It was expensive, crucial in preserving food, and was often used in lieu of currency. So spilling salt was considered an almost sacrilegious offence, and left one perilously exposed to the devil's machinations.

Throwing salt over your shoulder is akin to blessing someone after they've sneezed -- it's a way of keeping the devil at bay while you're in an especially vulnerable moment. Depending on your interpretation, the salt is either intended to blind the devil so he can't witness your error, or keep him from sneaking up on you while you're cleaning up your mess.

It's important to note that the superstition calls for the offender to throw salt over the left shoulder. As one web site notes, many ancient traditions place the devil to the left of the straight and narrow path. The classic image of a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other often shows the sinister imp sitting on the left side.

And if you want to really follow the letter of the law, you're encouraged to throw the salt with your "good," or right hand. Throughout history, the association of right with good and left with bad caused a number of perfectly respectable left-handed people to be burned at the stake.

Answer 2

Mostly superstitous people throw salt over their left shoulder when cooking if they spill a little bit of salt. They do this because salt used to be really precious to have, so spilling a few grains would mean the devil was standing behind your left shoulder. You would throw the salt over your left shoulder as if to it in the eye so that it burns and leaves you alone.

Answer 3

I do not know where it originated from, But throwing salt over the shoulder, means for luck.

Answer 4

It is for good luck and it started Ancient Greece and Rome.

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Answer 5

If you spill salt, you are supposed to throw a pinch over your left shoulder to prevent bad luck.

Answer 6

It believed by many Asians that salt keeps the bad spirits away and so, they put salt out the door to keep spirits away from their houses. I learned this from a Chinese friend who did this when there was a hurricane passing us by. good luck and i hope that i answered your question.

Answer 7

In addition to the common belief, it is to prevent other cooks to watch secret tips of your dish behind your shoulder :)

Answer 8

Why didn't you just look it up yourself instead of wasting 5 pts asking someone to look it up for you?

'Superstitions about salt date back to biblical times when salt was a highly prized commodity. It was expensive, crucial in preserving food, and was often used in lieu of currency. So spilling salt was considered an almost sacrilegious offence, and left one perilously exposed to the devil's machinations.
Throwing salt over your shoulder is akin to blessing someone after they've sneezed -- it's a way of keeping the devil at bay while you're in an especially vulnerable moment. Depending on your interpretation, the salt is either intended to blind the devil so he can't witness your error, or keep him from sneaking up on you while you're cleaning up your mess. "

Answer 9

When people throw a pinch of salf over their left shoulder it's for good luck.

Answer 10

It wards off evil spirits before the meal begins