Wedding Banquet Dishes In Singapore And Their Meanings
2017-12-08

The wedding banquet is the favourite part of a wedding for most guests. It is the time to not only catch up with family members but to also enjoy some of the most delicious meals available. Singapore comprises of many different cultures, and each of them has different ways of holding their wedding ceremonies, unique rituals and traditions.

A Chinese wedding banquet has the most colourful themed and carefully selected wedding dishes. Every entrée dish served in the banquet signifies various things such as happiness, fertility, peace, and prosperity among other things. Some of the dishes that you will always find in a Chinese wedding in Singapore include:

Appetizer

A wedding banquet in Singapore starts with an appetizer, which mainly consists of any of the following items: jellyfish, chicken feet, pork slices, bean curd, or sliced meat. The caterers often artfully arrange the dishes to represent a dragon and phoenix, which symbolizes the groom and the bride respectively.

Fish

Every Chinese inspired wedding banquet in Singapore should always serve fish. It signifies a life of abundance in the couple’s marriage. The fish should have a head and a tail to symbolize a prosperous union from the beginning to the end. It is also a perfect choice for the elderly who may have problems chewing other types of meat served at the banquet.

Noodles

Serving noodles in a wedding banquet symbolizes longevity in marriage, and they also signify a long and happy marriage. Noodles are common in most Chinese household so they would be an excellent addition to a wedding menu. Most people use chopsticks to eat noodles, and you should be very careful while using them. Avoid pointing your chopsticks at other people or sticking them on the bowl since it signifies a practice that is used to honour the dead.

Roasted Duck and Suckling Pig

The red colour of a roasted duck and pig signifies good luck. Therefore serving them whole (including their heads) at a wedding signifies happiness and a full lasting union. A duck is a symbol of fidelity, peace, and happiness in a married while serving a roasted pig blesses the bride with fertility.

Scallops, Lobsters, and Prawns

Including scallops in your wedding banquet menu symbolises fertility and blesses the couple with many children. Lobsters, on the other hand, is a very expensive dish with a vibrant red colour which signifies a wish for happiness in the couple’s marriage. A lobster served whole in a wedding adds the meaning of completeness to the couple.

Abalone and Sea Cucumber

The two dishes are from the ocean, and they have a smooth surface. They signify a smooth sail for the couple in their marriage. Abalone is also an expensive dish, which symbolizes yearly abundance for the couple. The sea cucumber, on the other hand, has a fantastic texture while its insides are easy to bite.

Desserts

A Chinese wedding banquet cannot be complete without desserts. A dessert is not just a sign of the end of a meal, but it symbolizes a sweet marriage. There are different types of desserts in a wedding banquet but the most common ones in Singapore includes the sweet red bean, and the lotus seeds soup which signifies fertility and growth respectively.

Most weddings in Singapore, especially the Chinese inspired, have an 8 or 9-course meal with most if not all of the items mentioned above. Number 8 rhymes with “good luck” in Chinese while number 9 sounds like “long life.” There is always something for everyone attending the wedding banquet regardless of his or her meal preferences. Therefore, simply immerse yourself in the atmosphere and enjoy your wedding meal!