How to choose your perfect wedding meal
#weddingstips
Buongiorno Ragazze!
I’ve to tell you… The hugest task for an Italian wedding planner is to make couple understand that you’re getting married in a foreign country and you need at least to respect some fundamentals of our traditions: and in Italy we still have a few traditions: family and food are the most important.
Let’s take food and wines now. All your enquiries on our web site have in common the following statement: “we want to have great food, great wine and keep it simple”
Allora… (Then) let’s clear up once for all what is great food in a wedding for Italians. First, according to the Italian traditions during weddings the more food you offer to your guests the richer you’re. I’ve been personally invited to a friends’ wedding and the wedding meal was composed of 12 different pasta courses and 15 main courses (between fish and meat) – 8 hours sit in eating and chatting with perfects strangers.
This was what I call BIG FAT ITALIAN WEDDING.. And as I guess it is not your intention killing your entire family: let’s reduce the quantities and have a “normal” Wedding meal for “non-Italians” with 4 or 5 courses including the wedding cake. Meaning being sit for 2 hours. Not too short and not too long. Simply perfect.
Now established the quantity and the length of the meal… let’s enter in more vital details: great food. For an Italian is a sacrilege to offer poor / simple food during a wedding. Courses need to have a long preparation and perfect presentation.
I know that for you a nice Caprese for entrée will make your mouth watering, while, I’m having Caprese at lunch more or less every day! So try to explore something different. If you are getting married in summer time, probably a nice carpaccio with pears and balsamic can refresh guests’ palate. For the pasta, try to avoid risotto or Bolognese… Italians never have risotto (unless sick) or bolognese (which is simply pasta with ragu meat). Ask to your chef to experience a nice home-made pasta, like ravioli with cheese or maltagliati with ratauille of vegetables. What’s Maltagliati??? (eeh I think we’re going to dedicate entire post to pasta shape and size) ..
However they are thin, short and flat homemade pasta perfect with a nice cherry dried tomatoes sauce and on top an abundant sprinkle of pecorino. Getting hungry??… Me too. Now the main. The most important caterers or restaurants couples decide for the menu which is fixed – meaning that your guests cannot choose the main (as in general happens in the Anglo-Saxon tradition) so if you have decided for a meat course – this will be served it to all guests; while if you have decided for meat and fish, both will be served to the guests. Going ahead with our perfect menu.. if you’re getting married in Tuscany , the beef Tagliata served with a rocket salade or a nice selection of seasons’ vegetables will be perfect. Beans and carrots are for Italians food for sick! So opt for courgettes, potatoes or tomatoes. Closing the meal : a nice dessert with a ball of gelato . Let’s re-cap:
Carpaccio of beef with pears and balsamic
Maltagliati with cherry tomatoes and pecorino
Tagliata of beef with potatoes
Chocolate foundant with ice cream
Wedding cake
We’ve forgot one main thing in our menu: wines. Again: never mix red and white. To be classy and elegant, you first start with a glass of bubbles – which in Italy are NOT CHAMPAGNE but PROSECCO. Champagne is French. Prosecco di Italian.
Taste the pasta an excellent glass of Pinot Grigio. The meat needs an important wine – RED like Chianti, Brunello, Amarone, Ripasso. I know that you’re not great fans of dessert wines, however I really invite you to try a little glass of Passito or Muffato with a nice dessert and you will be in heaven! The cut of the cake is the best moment and you need again bubbles and sparklers… so let’s celebrate with a big bottle of PROSECCO!
And the party can start!
Rossana| rossana@theknotinitaly.it
Photos courtesy of Studio A+Q
