Vietnamese Traditional Wedding Food and Their Significant Meanings to Know
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Preserving rich culture in each detail of the significant life events, the ancestors did create some Vietnamese traditional wedding food for later generation to learn the meanings and keep the traditions. Each food on the table represents the special wishes of happiness, health, and prosperity to the newlyweds. Below are five most typical dishes on a Vietnamese traditional wedding.
#1: Xoi Gac (a kind of sticky rice cooked with Gac)
“Xoi Gac” has a typical red color which symbolizes the full happiness. The red color is derived naturally from “Gac” fruit (its scientific name is Momordica cochinchinensis while its common English names can be red melon, baby jackfruit, cochinchin gourd, spiny bitter gourd, or sweet gourd). This food has the fragrant and glutinous taste of the sticky rice as well as the “Gac” fruit. Added to the completion is also the green bean paste. According to the ancestor’s belief, “Xoi Gac” embodies the meaning of the harmonious and beautiful marriage. Not only does this kind of sticky rice present on the wedding table, but it is also popular in some festivals and New Year’s Eve, etc.
#2: Ga Luoc (the boiled chicken)
The Vietnamese predecessors believed that the boiled chicken could symbolize the wealth and happiness. Therefore, this food is indispensable in the menus of traditional weddings in Vietnam. Also, the boiled chicken brings peace to matrimony which is “cozy inside and smooth outside.” Nowadays, some locals create other versions of the chicken food such as grilling or barbecuing or steaming. Whatever cooking techniques, chicken is an important food on the wedding tables.
#3: Nem (a kind of the crunchy spring rolls)
“Nem” or “Cha Gio” is the favorite food in almost every corner of Vietnam. The major ingredients include the minced pork, rice vermicelli, mushroom, egg, spring opinion, bean sprout, etc. All are mixed and spiced well, and then wrapped with the rice paper. The complex is later deep-fried in the hot oil pan to create the crispy taste. Rolls of “Nem” or “Cha Gio” are eye-catching and mouth-watering that attract the wedding guests, and it is often served as an appetizer – the perfect way to start the feast. Regarding its long-lasting meanings, this kind of the crunchy spring rolls means the togetherness to overcome all difficulties and get the great outcomes. The well-mixture of various ingredients in the food brings the “With One Accord” meaning that husband and wife will share the “sweet and sour tastes of life” during their matrimony.
#4: Thit Kho Tau (Caramelized pork and eggs or braised meat in light sauce)
This is the Vietnamese traditional food including marinated pork and boiled eggs that are braised in coconut juice. In fact, “Thit Kho Tau” is the popular dish consumed by many modern Vietnamese families on a daily basis. But traditionally, the Vietnamese ancestors did want to include this food in the wedding parties because of its rich meanings of harmony. It needs skills to choose the pork with meat and fat of the appropriate degrees, reflecting the “harmony of the family.” About the boiled eggs, they are not cut while braising; this means the full happiness.
#5: Gio Cha (a kind of sausage)
On the wedding trays, “Gio Cha” slices will be grouped in the star shapes of eight or ten which means luck. The arrangement of the sausage slices nearby each other can remind of the conjugal life, loyalty, and harmony that the new bride and groom should respect. Slice by slice, the sausages function well as the great traditional Vietnamese wedding reception food, together with the rolls of “Nem” which are displayed on the same plates.
Though modern weddings might have some different Vietnamese food, the five above are most typical based on the traditional concepts. Each food is meaningful and worth trying!
Knowledge sharing about Vietnam food culture and traditional recipes.