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When my son and daughter-in-law held a knife and cut
the first slice out of their all traditional, butter-cream frosted,
lavish, and very expensive wedding cake, I couldn't help smiling. If
we had been in the early Roman times, the wedding cake would not be
one huge, tasty, decorative creation, but many small, possibly
cupcake-sized, salty wheat cakes. In addition, the guests wouldn't
be eating the cakes but throwing them at the bride or crumbling it
over her head for fertility and single women would try to catch the
crumbs for the same reason they catch the bridal bouquet today.
In the olden times when children didn't make it to
adulthood due to childhood illnesses, fertility was important, and
that is probably the reason the wedding cake tradition was born.
Later on during their empire, Romans turned their salty cakes into
sweet cakes. This time, they made a slightly larger bridal cake with
many smaller cakes surrounding it. The smaller cakes were brought as
gifts by the guests. These cakes everyone ate, but still crumbled
some of those over the bride.
After the Roman conquest of the British Isles,
Roman customs influenced the natives who baked dry cakes for their
weddings and drank their ale with them. In old England and Ireland,
there also was, and still is, the custom of a groom's cake, dark in
color and made of dried fruit.
When the English sent their pioneers into the new
world, they also sent their customs with them. First European
settlers in the Americas made fruitcakes for their weddings because
their preservation was easier.
The fancy wedding cake with several tiers was
created through the initiative of the French, and although scorned
by the English at first, it was later adopted and became the norm
through all Europe. The wedding cake, owing to its long history,
became an individual affair for a modern wedding party, with
different shapes and styles and with a rich variety of flavors,
fillings, and icings.
A wedding cake, after the vows, has become a vital
part of wedding ceremony in our day. It is assumed that a wedding
cake reflects the style, elegance, and delicacy of the couple's
upbringing, in addition to their enthusiasm for their marriage.
Not only the ingredients and the making of the
cake, but the ceremony of its cutting has become another reception
by itself. Traditionally, the bride and the groom cut the cake
together, with groom placing his right hand over the bride's right
hand to cut the first slice. Then, they feed each other that first
slice while everyone applauds. Sometimes, the top tier is saved for
the first anniversary or the birth of the couple's first child,
whichever comes first.
In some new world weddings nowadays, smearing each
other with the icing has been taking hold as a custom, adding
hilarity to the reception. My favorite wedding cake anecdote is a
real one that may have seemed like a disaster at the time; however
in hindsight, it has become an amusing joke. Yet, since the marriage
has lasted, the incident might have been a good omen.
Several years ago, we attended a large wedding
reception. Over the several steep stairs to the main reception hall,
the wedding cake had to be carried rather than wheeled. I don't know
why nobody thought of a ramp but two waiters, one on each side, took
the cake up the steps.
Suddenly, a waiter tripped and the cake fell on
the floor, but with luck or heavenly intervention, the top two tiers
stayed intact. A pandemonium broke out with the bride's mother
fainting and maintenance people scurrying about. Since the reception
hall was part of a big hotel, the management came up with their
version of a wedding cake. Several small cakes were arranged as the
bottom layer with the two top layers of the original cake placed
over them.
Judging from that experience, I think it might be
a good idea to have a just-in-case second cake. After all, cakes are
loved by most anyone and they don't go to waste.
About The Author
This article has been submitted by Joy Cagil in affiliation with
http://www.Prye.Com.
Joy Cagil is a writer on
writing.com. |
