What would you do if your future in-laws send over at your house a truck full of delicious food? Not a couple of trays, not a 'dala', not even a 'dekchi' but a truck full of them! Invite your close relatives and friends to engage in gluttony of course.

This is what often happens when a man is marrying into a family from Old Dhaka. On the day before the wedding, a truck or at least a mini-van would arrive at the groom's house, containing a menu large enough for a regal meal of medieval kings.

All the tables and every inch of your floor will be occupied by the food - loads of chicken pulao, giant lobsters, whole-leg mutton roasts, mouth-watering kebabs, beef curries, tandoori chicken, labang, borhani, shahi tukra…the list seems endless.

It's not just about Old Dhaka. Bangladeshis love pampering their sons-in-law and their family, and the affection extends for all the years to come.

Whenever the son-in-law visits his in-laws' house, he becomes the centre of attention, and the hosts leave no stone unturned to entertain this special guest. They say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and the in-laws grab every opportunity for that.

Firani, for instance, is an occasion when the newly-weds go to the bride's house and the groom visits the kitchen market and buys fish. Meanwhile, Jamai Sashthi is a celebration in the Bengali culture, predominant in the Hindu population, where the mother-in-law prepares a feast and invites her sons-in-law and daughters.

There is another tradition prevalent in all strata of society where the new bride cooks for her in-laws and the new-found extended family on days after the actual wedding.

Good food not only satiates our hunger but helps in developing and often strengthening social ties. Please flip through the pages as we present a brief take on wedding food and much more.