It may come as a surprise to most brides that, originally, the wedding cake was not eaten by but thrown at the bride! It developed as one of the many fertility traditions surrounding a wedding. Luckily this custom evolved into actually eating the cake.
There are some wedding traditions, honestly, that do make you wonder about the sanity of the people who started them. Maybe we're just sticks in the mud when it comes to fun and frivolity, but olde tyme wedding cake traditions are kind of wacky. We don't recommend that you try any of these at your wedding, unless you want to watch your mom go into cardiac arrest.
Throwing Wheat
Before rice was the big have-lots-of-babies food (yep, that's why you throw a ton of it when the wedding's over), wheat was the fertility food of choice. Wheat used to be showered at the happy couple, and single men and women (so we're told) then scrambled for a grain or two to ensure their own betrothals. And we think throwing the bridal bouquet is demeaning??
Breaking Bread On The Bride's Head
Wheat was the first wedding cake component, and the Roman Empire was responsible, we are told, for beginning the wedding cake tradition. But for eating? No. Loaves of wheat bread were broken over the bride's head, usually by the groom, and guests were encouraged to eat the crumbs that fell for good luck. Again with the guests digging crumbs of lucky cake off the floor. Wedding guests today are treated much better, we think, and at least get a first shot at the wedding cake without having to scrape for crumbs.
Check Out Their Sweet Buns
During the Middle Ages, wedding wheat loaves became sweet buns, and the guests were responsible for bringing some to the bride and groom as a gift. For fun, after the ceremony the mini sweet cakes were piled up and the bride and groom attempted to kiss over the enormous pile - the taller the pile, the more prosperous the couple, so the story goes. Tricked again, after being trampled on and salivaed by the bride and groom, the guests weren't too eager to snatch a bite of sweet wedding cake.
Things Turn Around
Finally, somebody with some sense. Supposedly, an anonymous French chef working during the reign of King Charles II in the 16th Century visited London, and was appalled by their gross wedding cake traditions. Not only was the pile of buns unsanitary, but anyone who's had English pastry knows that they were probably the most tasteless cakes in the whole world. So he rushed home to France and baked up something that looked like a pile of buns (multi-tiered), actually tasted good and slathered it with tons of icing. A significant step up for the guests: finally they got to have an actual piece of cake that had not been thrown on the floor, stuck in the bride's hair, stepped on or drooled on at the wedding.
Today's Traditions
Most people don't associate the wedding cake with having lots of children anymore, instead the wedding cake has become kind of a first meal for the bride and groom. Today's couples cut a slice before anyone else and feed it to each other, symbolizing the support they'll provide through their many years together. In addition, the confections themselves have become a showpiece instead of a symbol - you can get a wedding cake with a fountain in it, pieces of infrastructure (bridges and such), or cakes that you could honestly mistake for a present or a hat or other inanimate objects.
What do you want your wedding cake to symbolize? Here are some ideas for a fertility symbol your guests will go ga-ga over:
* Luscious fruits and fresh flowers make a beautiful decoration that's also edible. * Head back to your roots - different cultures have different wedding cake traditions. A tradtional Italian wedding cake is white and creamy, while the traditional Greek wedding cake is a kind of fruit cake. Find out your family traditions and delight your guests with international flair. * For a cake topper, find your mom's and dad's old cake topper, or a piece that's significant to you. Our friend Jen from NYC used the first gift her husband ever gave her, an antique Venetian glass. * Plain Jane? Ask for fondant icing instead of buttercream. Fondant makes that glass-like smooth surface that is both incredibly simple and undeniably elegant. * Choose your favorite cake and buck tradition. Who says that wedding cakes have to be white? Our friend Faye tells of a gingerbread wedding cake she made that sounds absolutely delicious. * Ask a kitchen-talented friend to make the cake for you. Talk about a personal touch.
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