"Strange habits are nothing new to the human race. Whether it's knocking on wood to avoid bad luck or never walking underneath a ladder, we have passed down small superstitions from generation to generation, sometimes without ever knowing why or even thinking to question the motive. Italians believe it's bad luck to spill salt or even olive oil, but there are deeper meanings rooted in history to explain why many cultures around the world share the same reverence for salt."
"Toussaint-Samat notes that for the ancient Greeks and in Japanese and Eastern Mediterranean cultures, salt and the art of hospitality were closely intertwined. The grave error of spilling salt "means the breaking of that bond [of hospitality] and the lapsing of protection on high." To counteract this holy mishap, the spiller must toss a pinch of the salt "three times over [their] left shoulder, towards the evil spirits lurking in wait behind [them].""
Salt served as a preservative and purifier, linked to life because it comes from the sea. Ancient cultures associated salt with hospitality and protection; spilling salt symbolized breaking that bond and lapsing of protection on high. To counteract spilling, people toss a pinch three times over the left shoulder toward evil spirits. Spilled salt appears as a symbol of betrayal in Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper. Salt has exerted enormous historical influence and has been used in religious ceremonies for centuries, including in exorcisms.
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