We have collected some wedding rituals which many give you some new ideas how to celebrate your big day:

Germany:
Bride and groom invite friends and family before the wedding to celebrate “Polterabend” (Hen & Stag night). German brides and grooms have to clean up piles of porcelain dishes that their guests threw on the ground on arrival to ward off any evil spirits. The lesson: working together, the couple can face any challenge thrown their way.
Kenya:
How would you like to be all dressed up in your wedding finery and have your dad spit on you? It happens in Kenya after the ceremony when a Masai bride leaves with her new husband. The purpose is not to tempt fate by being too supportive of the newlyweds.
Cuba:
It’s a Cuban custom that every man who dances with the bride must pin money to her dress to help the couple pay for their wedding and honeymoon. Bank on it
Russia:
According to custom, a Russian man must go to the bride’s parents’ home on the morning of the wedding and prove his worth by either paying a “ransom” for his lady, showering the bride’s family with gifts, or simply humiliating himself by dancing and singing until the family says “okay.”

Peru:
In Peruvian weddings, the cake is typically assembled with ribbons attached to charms, with one fake wedding ring embedded into the center. The single lady who is served the slice of cake with the fake wedding ring inside is crowned the next to get married.
Romania:
Guests work together to “abduct” the bride, whisking her away to an undisclosed location and demanding a “ransom” from the groom. Typical requests? A few bottles of alcohol, or — for those looking to really make the groom sweat — singing a love song in front of the entire party!
Sweden:
In Sweden, whenever the bride leaves the table, all the ladies at the reception are free to steal a kiss from the groom! Sweden keeps the tradition gender-neutral so whenever the groom leaves the room, all surrounding gentleman are free to plant a peck on the bride.
Spain:
It is custom for the groom to give the bride’s father a watch after she accepts his proposal. The groom also gives the bride a gift of 13 gold coins (las arras) that symbolize God’s love.

Japan:
Lobster is a common wedding food for the Japanese, because it’s bright red – the colour of luck. Clams are also served whole – to symbolize a couple’s unity.
Italy:
Food is paramount at receptions. Some weddings feature as many as 14 food and drink courses, starting with antipasto and ending with espresso and cake.
Greece:
Grooms cut up their ties at the end of the wedding reception; the couple then ‘sells’ the pieces to guests.
China:
In China, when a groom comes to get his bride, he must first break through an aggressive wall of her angry bridesmaids. The bridesmaids demand money from him, and put him through a series of silly performances and tasks – all meant to prove just how strong his love really is.

Korea:
Married friends of the groom carve wooden ducks for the married couple, meant to symbolize marital harmony.

As in most Eurpean cuisines most of French food is based on simple peasant dishes. These dishes vary depending on the different regions and climates.

In Brittany you have for obvious reasons a lot of Fish and Seafood, Crepes and cheeses.

In Provence a lot more herbs are used because they grow in abundance and the influence is far more Mediterranean with tomatoes,olives, anchovies, red peppers, lemons.
The South-West is renowned for Duck dishes, cooked in Duck fat with one of the best dishes being a “Cassoulet”.

Then you have Choucroute Garnie in Alsace ( Garnished Sauerkraut with sausages and pork cooked in wine with juniper berries and Riesling for example.

Charcuterie is available in all regions.
Bassque food in the Western Pyrenees,
Catalan cuisine in the rest of the Pyrenees coupled with also a lot of mountain cheeses and dishes.

The centre is yet more pork dishes with a lot of one pot dishes.

France makes wonderful cheeses, hams, breads and superb cakes and desserts.

“Haute Cuisine” is only a tiny part of France.

Regional French food which makes most of French Cuisine is like Italian regional food, incredibly varied, relying on seasonal fresh ingredients and there is no typical dish really.
Wonderful peasant dishes like “Boeuf Bourguignon” and “Coq au Vin” are merely one pot peasant comfort food dishes and yet somehow people perceive them as pretentious or “posh” which they are most certainly not. 

The French love all kinds of meat from Beef to Game such as Venison, Wild Boar, Pheasant etc… Fish and Seafood, lots of vegetables and fruits and of course cheeses. Until recently most French families would have had a full cheese platter on the table at almost every meal. The French also tend to eat a lot of salad be it a simple green salad to accompany a steak or a full garnished salad as a main course…

I think the misconception about French food all comes from the fact that famous French chefs who made it big with the European Aristocracy in the 18th and 19th century became a by-word for ALL French food when it was only a tiny elitist part of a large country’s bounty.
French food at its best is just fantastic. I love High End restaurants too but the best French food is usually something and humble from simple and fresh ingredients. 

Summer time, Wimbledon time, Strawberry time!

Perhaps you want to surprise your guests with a slightly different, refreshing summer drink.

The recipe (12 portions):

Ingredients:

1 kg Strawberries

50 g Sugar

200 ml Brandy or Cognac

1 Bottle of White Wine – in this case not too dry

2 Bottles of Prosecco

Mint Leafs

Preparation:

Marinate Strawberries, Mint Leafs in Brandy and Sugar – leave min. 2 hours in the fridge

Add 1 bottle of White Wine and leave in the fridge

Before serving add 2 bottles of Prosecco – serve cold!

Why is Italian food so popular all over the world? The answer is quite easy: Only use the best ingredients and treat them respect!

Italian recipes are mainly based on home cooked food under the “eagle eye” of Mama. Only the best ingredients are used and prepared in a simple but caring way!

Pasta is cooked  “al dente” – means the pasta is firm and not soft and soggy. Past come in all shapes and combined with a simple sauce creates a sensational dish:

Prepare Spaghetti and toss in good oil with garlic and chilli. The result is a Spaghetti Aglio E Olio. Just reading it out loud is fun!

Salads are dressed simply with a good olive oil and a tasty balsamic vinegar.

Bread is roasted, brushed with some olive oil and garlic, topped with tomatoes and fresh basil – food heaven!

Hams and Salamis are cured with care and time and of course the wonderful climate in Italy helps the air drying in a wonderful way, creating delicacies varying by regions depending on the different climates.

Cheeses are available in many varieties and if you have ever tried an aged Parmigiano cheese with aged balsamic glaze will love it forever.

And to finish off an Italian food feast a real Tiramisu is hard to beat.ca

Pietro Carauna, our Italian Chef, makes sure to capture all real Italian flavours on your plate!