White wedding cake with pink flowers
Food - Drink
Why Do We Really Eat Cake At A Wedding?
By ERICA MARTINEZ
Bride cutting wedding cake
Wedding cake seems almost ho-hum, a go-to dessert that takes some stress off of menu planning, but these cakes are actually rooted in traditions that go back centuries.
Woman eating wedding cake
In ancient Rome, a wheat or barley cake would be broken over the bride's head to symbolize good luck. Later, in medieval times, these cakes would be changed into bread buns.
Pink striped cake with flower decorations
Wedding guests would pile up sweet breads and buns for the married couple, who would then try to kiss each other over the top of the tower. The buns then evolved into wedding pie.
Wedding cake with flowers and candles
At 17th century weddings, the English ate "Bride's Pye" filled with things like lamb testicles and pine nuts, as well as a ring. If a single woman got it in her slice, she'd be the next to marry.
Two cakes decorated to look like a wedding dress and tuxedo
Within the same century, Bride's Pyes turned into sweet, celebratory cakes made with fruits and sugar, a tradition that has evolved, but still carries on into the present day.