The experience of going to a wedding is different for all its attendees. Still, one will always encounter the difficult situation of dreaded handshakes, kisses on the cheek, and lengthy discussions with family members they can’t quite name. However, the foods served have consistently provided the opportunity and excuse to ditch the conversations and indulge in the various delicacies available. So, no matter your wedding-going experience read about these tropical wedding treats that have become staples in their culture.
Thailand:
You can never go wrong with a warm, sweet treat to end your meal, and the foi thong encapsulates every component of the perfect dessert. Foi Thong translates to “golden threads” in Thai, comprising egg yolks drizzled through a cone to form long threads cooked in sugar syrup. Eggs are at the forefront of this treat, giving it a natural custard-like taste. The yolks are drizzled in a mixture of boiling water and sugar, adding sweet notes that balance the savoriness of the eggs. This decadent dessert retains a delicate texture that quickly melts in your mouth, which is why it has been coined one of Thailand’s most popular wedding treats.
According to Thai culture, it is commonly believed that thong–meaning gold–brings good luck, prosperity, and wealth into our lives; hence, this treat is frequently featured in Thai weddings to bestow luck and bless the bride and groom.
Brazil:
The bem casado, which translates to “happily married” in Portuguese, is well-known for its bite-sized form and can be found in many Brazilian weddings. This dish consists of a dulce de leche filling between two sponge cake discs, then dipped into a sugar glaze and left to harden. The cake is light and airy, melts with the rich filling, and, combined with the hardened glaze, creates a harmonious symphony of textures and flavors.
This wedding treat is delicious and symbolizes love and luck in Brazilian culture. The bem casados represent two parts connected through union, commitment, and love. According to Brazilian legends, the bem casado offers luck and even love, so guests are encouraged to make a wish before taking a bite!
Bermuda:
In contrast to the popularised multi-tier white cake, Bermuda weddings feature two separate cakes for the bride and groom. The bride’s three-tiered cake uses a dense batter, incorporates ground spices, and is sweetened with dried fruits such as cranberries and mangoes. The cake is covered in silver leaf, symbolizing purity and faithfulness, and topped with a cedar sapling native to Bermuda. This cake embraces the warmth of the spices and the sweetness from the fruits, creating a sweet and earthy taste. The groom’s single-tiered cake is simple, using pound cake as the base with no additional sweeteners. The cake is then decorated with gold leaves, representing the wealth and success the groom will bring to the marriage.
Unlike popular cake toppers representing the newlyweds, wedding cakes in Bermuda are topped with cedar seedlings. The couple plants the cedar saplings to celebrate their growing love and start to a new life together. Ultimately, these wedding cakes are sweet, significant, and sincere.
Even though the lengthy conversations are sometimes hard to avoid, escape, and at times controversial, these tropical wedding treats will make your time spent at the ceremony just slightly sweeter.
