Eggs

One of the most mystical foods, eggs are linked with human survival throughout most of our history. And eggs even held high importance in several European traditions. In Central Europe, peasants have been known to rub eggs on their plows as a ritual for improving crops. In France, brides broke an egg on their doorstep as a fertility symbol. This practice was supposed to guarantee a large family.

The most opulent of eggs, caviar, was named for the Persian khav-yar, meaning “cake of strength.” The tiny pearls of the sea were originally thought to give the eater a long life. (We now know they can give the eater a better libido!)