A Taste of History
by Danell Betbeze
Wedding Cakes are steeped in tradition starting with ancient Rome where wheat or barley cake was crumbled over a brides head as a symbol of good fortune. After it was crumbled, the bride and the groom ate a few crumbs then the guests gathered up the remaining crumbs for good luck. Once all the wheat and barley cakes were used up, the guests were supplied with confetto -a mixture of nuts, dried fruit and honey almonds -to throw at the couple. This custom actually has lasted for hundreds of years with us now tossing rice, flower petals, confetti, and blowing bubbles.
In Medieval England, the earliest form of wedding cake was small spiced buns that were stacked in a pile as high as possible. If the bride and groom were able to kiss over the towering pile it was thought that they would have a life of prosperity. However, in England the first recipe of a wedding found in any cookbook is Bride’s Pye which is a large round pie elaborately decorated concealing the filling of oysters, pine kernels, cockscombs, lambstones, sweetbreads and spices. This dish was considered essential to the bride’s happiness and is what our modern wedding cake originates from. Each guest was required to eat a slice of the pie and it was extremely rude to refuse. In the pie was hidden a ring and the lady who found it was considered the next to marry.
Other superstitions have been long associated with the wedding cake:
-Sharing the cake with family and friends increases fertility and prosperity
-The bride who bakes her own cake is asking for trouble
-A taste before the wedding means a loss of a husband’s love
-A piece of cake kept after the wedding ensures fidelity
-The newlyweds must cut the first slice together
-Every guest must eat a small piece to ensure that the family is blessed with children
Bride cake covered with white frosting first made an appearance in seventeenth century England. The frosting was a precursor to royal icing made of whisked egg whites and sugar and applied to the hot cake straight from the oven and then placed back into the oven to firm up. It was a delicate process because the frosting could brown easily and no bride wanted brown on her wedding cake. The first known use of Royal icing was in 1769. The white wedding cake was much sought after as a symbol or purity and virginal attributes. It was also a status symbol of wealth because to have white frosting meant that only the finest expensive refined sugar had been used.
From the Victorian age until the 1980’s wedding cakes remained unchanged. In Britain, the royal icing was replaced by soft icing that was draped and frilled and often embellished with sugar paste flowers. At the same time, American’s evolved a simpler layer cake coming in any flavor the bride wants. Today there seems to be little to no rules about the wedding cake; they can come in any color, flavor or shape and are designed to reflect the bride and groom’s personality.
Wilson, Carol. "Wedding Cake: A Slice of History." Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture 5.2 (2005): 69-72.
Jstor. Web. 21 Jun 2013.
In Medieval England, the earliest form of wedding cake was small spiced buns that were stacked in a pile as high as possible. If the bride and groom were able to kiss over the towering pile it was thought that they would have a life of prosperity. However, in England the first recipe of a wedding found in any cookbook is Bride’s Pye which is a large round pie elaborately decorated concealing the filling of oysters, pine kernels, cockscombs, lambstones, sweetbreads and spices. This dish was considered essential to the bride’s happiness and is what our modern wedding cake originates from. Each guest was required to eat a slice of the pie and it was extremely rude to refuse. In the pie was hidden a ring and the lady who found it was considered the next to marry.
Other superstitions have been long associated with the wedding cake:
-Sharing the cake with family and friends increases fertility and prosperity
-The bride who bakes her own cake is asking for trouble
-A taste before the wedding means a loss of a husband’s love
-A piece of cake kept after the wedding ensures fidelity
-The newlyweds must cut the first slice together
-Every guest must eat a small piece to ensure that the family is blessed with children
Bride cake covered with white frosting first made an appearance in seventeenth century England. The frosting was a precursor to royal icing made of whisked egg whites and sugar and applied to the hot cake straight from the oven and then placed back into the oven to firm up. It was a delicate process because the frosting could brown easily and no bride wanted brown on her wedding cake. The first known use of Royal icing was in 1769. The white wedding cake was much sought after as a symbol or purity and virginal attributes. It was also a status symbol of wealth because to have white frosting meant that only the finest expensive refined sugar had been used.
From the Victorian age until the 1980’s wedding cakes remained unchanged. In Britain, the royal icing was replaced by soft icing that was draped and frilled and often embellished with sugar paste flowers. At the same time, American’s evolved a simpler layer cake coming in any flavor the bride wants. Today there seems to be little to no rules about the wedding cake; they can come in any color, flavor or shape and are designed to reflect the bride and groom’s personality.
Wilson, Carol. "Wedding Cake: A Slice of History." Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture 5.2 (2005): 69-72.
Jstor. Web. 21 Jun 2013.