Cooking is not as simple as it is when it's done in a Latin kitchen. Your great, great abuela knows that whipping up a perfect dish takes more than just the right ingredients and the skills. There are superstitions, outrageous and funny, to bear in mind as well.

Beloved abuela knows all the tricks of the trades that will not only allow you to impress your loved ones with a gorgeous, sumptuous meal, but also get to keep away evils that lurk around.

As it turns out, garlic is more than just a weapon against vampires, per The Latin Kitchen. It apparently has the power to ward off the curse of the evil eye. It is unknown if it should be snacked on like an apple, or simply sit the garlic near you when you cook to make it work. Either way, it's good to keep a clove or two around.

Another evil-fending trick has to do with salt. When you spill some salt while cooking (which is a no-no since this is bad luck), make sure to throw a pinch of it again over you left shoulder so as to "blind the devil." Spilling does not count. Throwing does.

A couple of these Latin food superstitions have to do with marriage and family. For starters, do not even think about giving knives as a gift, especially to newlyweds. This apparently implies severing ties and you don't want to be the cause of a nasty split.

Speaking of severing ties, those who actually want to put an end to any kind of affiliation with someone they've learned to hate only have one Latin food superstition to turn to in order to get rid of them, and it involves a basket of peppers.

All you need to do is give that person a basket of peppers. The key is to have them touch the peppers because merely placing one on his or her table, or having that person pick them up, renders no effect.

An egg, on the other hand, has the power to invite prosperity, or something like that. Back in the olden days, farmers used to sprinkle egg shells on their land to promote a good harvest. It looks like this Latin superstition is not a thing of the past after all.

Also, according to The Kitchn, eggs usually have something to do with the fate of a pregnancy. When an expecting woman gets an egg with two yolks, there's reason to believe she'll have twins.

Check out other types of Latin superstitions on the video below: