Wedding menu through the ages: From Polao-Korma to Kacchi Biryani

Winter is known as the wedding season – and with that, it smells of rich, spice and aroma packed biyebari (wedding) food.

Although not everyone got a wedding invitation this winter, it should not stop us from talking about the grand wedding feast almost everyone else is appreciating or criticising out there.

The menu of a wedding feast has evolved throughout the years in our country. The simple rice-meat meal has gotten newer dimensions. The appetizers and desserts also went through evolution.

Let's have a glance at the food items you may have in your plate at a wedding this season!

The traditional entre – a colourful plate of seasonal fruits – is long gone. The latest popular edition is naan, beef kala bhuna, and desi style Chinese vegetables. Sometimes you can find chicken gizzard and liver mixed with the dish and it certainly is delicious.

The trend of putting a piece of cheese in the beginning salad has already been discounted. More recently, people seek a shashlik skewer.

One or two decades back, a steaming plate of aromatic polao with korma or a generous roasted chicken gravy was the main wedding course. But kacchi biryani with its package deal replaced the chicken-polao. Although most weddings still do not abandon the biyebari roast, some do – with crispy fried chicken that upsets the roast-lovers.

A rezala – chicken, beef or mutton – had always been a special attraction of wedding feast, now became optional. The latest replacement is desi-Chinese cuisine which comes with a package of rice, vegetables, fried chicken and one gravy item.

Despite the radical change in wedding feast menu, some would say it is the biyebari flavour that tickles the nostrils and fills the tummy. If the food offers the flavour – surely most would not complain.

Fried fish, shrimp and lobsters are in trend, but of course, if one has the budget for costly seafood items.

Dessert makes the last impression on a wedding feast – nobody can be blamed for being a tad bit picky about it.

Traditional jorda with its baby sweets has turned white from orange – garnished with dry fruits, baby sweets or malai aplenty. As an alternate to jorda, sometimes firni is offered – whichever it is, people still patiently await the biyebari dessert.

Like in old weddings, plain sweets or coupled with yogurt are out of fashion. A long sip of borhani is the perfect end to a wedding meal. These days, some prefer serving soft drinks while some weddings serve both.

The tradition of serving the guests with betel leaves and paan masalas is still in the trend, but you will find a lot more variety and colours in it.

The wedding menu has definitely undergone changes in terms of items and cuisines. But one thing remained the same – the biyebari flavour undeniably makes all the difference.