Madrigal dinner

[citation needed] Several selections performed at the presentation of the meal's courses are traditional to the madrigal dinner genre.

The theme is lighthearted and romantic, reminiscent of the King Arthur legends and often revolves around the marriage of a prince or princess.

Other characters may be minstrels, thieves, wizards, knights, visiting royalty, Greek gods and goddesses, enchanted princesses, or many other mythical figures.

[citation needed] Although intended to imitate a meal that might have been served during the Middle Ages, the food at a madrigal dinner is not strictly authentic.

[citation needed] During the song which accompanies each course, a symbolic object may be carried to the king's throne by two or more ceremonial guards.

Sometimes this is the head of a real boar, pig, or javelina, preserved by taxidermy, and sometimes it is a replica, made from papier-mâché or plaster.