Food superstitions - 6 Minute English

Improve your English vocabulary and listening in just six minutes! 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&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 Watch the video 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: More 6 Minute English episodes: The men taking their wife&name after marriage Would you pay more for &coffee? High heels: fashion or oppression? Is gaming a sport? Is punctuality important? Learn to talk about broken hearts in 6 minutes! #beliefs