Of all the feasts that people eat, one of the most important, socially, is the wedding banquet. It’s a time for unabashed celebration of the happy couple, as family and friends gather to honor and cherish the duo’s commencement of their new life. Having herself cooked for hundreds of weddings, Stewart has witnessed all sorts of nuptial revelries. Many wedding feasts are shaped by religious and secular folkways and customs. American weddings have evolved over the past 200 years from simple postceremony breakfasts to today’s elaborate culinary productions. Stewart notes that during wartime, brides had to cut back and heed rationing strictures. She inventories myriad religious customs worldwide, ranging from Jewish dietary laws to Mormon, Sikh, and Buddhist customs. A chapter on African American practices moves across time from slavery through the present. Full of history and sociology, Stewart’s book will intrigue even those not tying the knot.

Booklist

Sprinkled throughout with examples of wedding feasts and other food-related matrimonial traditions, this volume is filled with details about historical and contemporary customs. There are anecdotes about strange bachelor parties and excessive banquets. The wide sampling provides a diverse view of wedding practices across the globe, making it an entertaining book to read….

Summing Up: Recommended. General collections, public libraries.

Choice Reviews

A fascinating read full of delicious detail. Stewart explores the diversity of American wedding food and wedding feast traditions.

Vicki Howard, Visiting Fellow, University of Essex; author of Brides, Inc.: American Weddings and the Business of Tradition