Galette des Rois
King Cake
Galette des Rois
The cake traditionally celebrating Epiphany in France and Quebec is sold in most bakeries during the month of January. Three versions exist: in northern France, Quebec, and Belgium the cake called galette des rois in French or Koningentaart in Flemish/Dutch (which can be either circular or rectangular) consists of flaky puff pastry layers with a dense center of frangipane or apple.
In the west of France a sablé galette is made, a form of sweetcrust pastry. In southern France—Occitania, Roussillon, Provence, Catalan where it is called tortell—the cake called gâteau des rois or royaume, is a torus-shaped brioche with candied fruits
and sugar, similar in its shape and colors to a crown. This later
version is also common to Spain and very similar to New-Orleans king
cake.
Tradition holds that the cake is “to draw the kings” to the Epiphany.
A figurine, la fève,
which can represent anything from a car to a cartoon character, is
hidden in the cake and the person who finds the trinket in his or her
slice becomes king for the day and will have to offer the next cake.
Originally, la fève was literally a broad bean (fève), but it was replaced in 1870 by a variety of figurines out of porcelain or - more recently - plastic.
These figurines have become popular collectibles and can often be
bought separately. Individual bakeries may offer a specialized line of
fèves depicting diverse themes from great works of art to classic movie
stars and popular cartoon characters. The cakes are usually sold in
special bags, some of which can be used to heat the cake in a microwave
without ruining the crispness of the cake.
A paper crown is included
with the cake to crown the "king" who finds the fève in their piece of
cake.
To ensure a random distribution of the cake shares, it is
traditional for the youngest person to place him - or herself under the
table and name the recipient of the share which is indicated by the
person in charge of the service.
Formerly, the cake was divided into as many shares as there were
guests, plus one. The latter, called "the share of God," "share of the
Virgin Mary," or "share of the poor" was intended for the first poor
person to arrive at the home.
King Cake
A king cake (sometimes shown as kingcake, kings' cake, king's cake, or three kings cake) is a type of cake associated in a number of countries with the festival of Epiphany at the end of the Christmas season; in other places, it is associated with the pre-Lenten celebrations of Mardi Gras/Carnival.
What started out roughly 300 years ago as a dry French bread–type dough with sugar on top and a bean inside now comes in many varieties depending on the country.
Some king cakes are made of a sweet brioche
dough in the shape of a hollow circle with a glazed topping sprinkled
with colored sugar.
Hundreds of thousands of King Cakes are eaten in New Orleans
during the Carnival season.
In other countries, king cakes are made
with a puff pastry, filled with one of several fillings (e.g., almond,
apple, chocolate/pear, etc.), and have a small figurine hidden inside.
The figurine changes from bakery to bakery and often represents a hit
movie or other cultural icon.
The cake often has a small plastic baby (to represent the Baby Jesus) inside or underneath; and the person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket has various privileges and obligations.
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