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King cake

Part of a Mobilian-style king cake with the baby figurine on top
Type	Cake
Place of origin	Portugal, Spain, France
Region or state	France
Similar dishes	Jésuite conversation tart
Media: King cake

A king cake, also known as a three kings cake or a baby cake, is a cake associated in many countries with Epiphany, the celebration of the Twelfth Night after Christmas. Its form and ingredients are variable, but in most cases a fève (lit. 'fava bean') such as a figurine, often said to represent the Christ Child, is hidden inside. After the cake is cut, whoever gets the fève wins a prize. Modern fèves can be made of other materials, and can represent various objects and people.

History

The origin of the cake tradition was popularly believed to be related to the Roman Saturnalia. These were festivals dedicated to the god Saturn so that the Roman people, in general could celebrate the longer days that began to come after the winter solstice. For this reason, Margaret Hasluck disputed as well the Greek tradition commemorating St. Basil's feast day with vasilopita, saying both customs had a common origin in the Saturnalia and Kronia.

In the Middle Ages, it was said that the king who was chosen had to pay the assembly a general round of drinks. To prevent cheating, the edible bean was replaced by a porcelain bean. In Christian tradition the cake commemorates the witness of the "Three Kings".

The tradition of the Mardi Gras king cake did not become established until the 20th-century, although the ubiquitous gold, purple and green sprinkles have been standard decoration since 1872. The cake is usually purchased at a shop. Many holiday foods have rituals and customs connected to the preparation of the food, but the customs of the kings cake mainly revolve around the fève. Sugar was always a big industry in New Orleans where local bakeries took an active role in turning the cake into a modern cultural icon. Old-fashioned versions of the cake are basically a round braided brioche without filling but these days bakeries try to outdo one another with creative fillings.

Regional variants

French-speaking countries and regions

There are two different versions of the French king cake: the galette and the gâteau. The galette des rois is a flaky puff pastry traditionally filled with frangipane. These days the filling may be fruit, chocolate or cream-based fillings. It has become a tradition for pastry chefs to create innovative versions of the galette featuring ingredients like flavored liquors, candied fruits and ganache.

The gâteau des rois associated mainly with the region of Provence in the south of France is a brioche dough decorated with candied fruit and coarse sugar.

The Guianan galette (more commonly known as the Creole galette) is a traditional pastry of French Guianan cuisine. This is a Creole variant of the galette des rois which is eaten as a dessert during Epiphany. It can be garnished with cream, coconut, guava, etc. It is consumed throughout the Carnival period (from the Epiphany until Lent, beginning Ash Wednesday) and preferably accompanied by champagne.

A paper crown is included with purchased cakes to crown the "king" or "queen" who finds the "fève" or bean, or coin hidden inside the cake. To ensure a random distribution of the pieces, the youngest person is to place themselves under the table and name the recipient of each piece as they are cut. When store-bought, the fève can be a tiny porcelain figurine of a religious character or, nowadays, a figurine referencing pop-culture or popular cartoons.

German-speaking countries

The German and Swiss Dreikönigskuchen 'three kings cake' are shaped like wreathes or rounds, and uses an almond as the fève.

Portugal

Bolo-rei (lit. 'king cake') is a traditional Portuguese cake eaten from the beginning of December until Epiphany. The recipe is derived from the Southern French gâteau des rois which found its way to Portugal during the 1800s when Confeitaria Nacional opened as the Portuguese monarchy's official bakery in 1829.

The cake is round with a large hole in the centre, resembling a crown covered with crystallized and dried fruit. It is baked from a soft, white dough, with raisins, various nuts and crystallized fruit. Also included is the dried fava bean, and tradition dictates that whoever finds the fava has to pay for the cake next year.

Spanish-speaking countries

The Roscón de Reyes is eaten in Spain, Latin America and the United States. Recipes vary from country to country and between cultures but tend to be similar. It generally has an oval shape due to the need to make cakes large enough for large groups. For decoration, figs, quinces, cherries, or dried and candied fruits are often, but not exclusively, used. The tradition of placing a bean, candy or figurine inside the cake that diners find in their slice is followed.

In Spain the cake consists of a sweet brioche dough aromatised with orange blossom water and decorated with slices of candied or crystallized fruit of various colors. It can be filled with whipped cream, cream, almond paste or others. The figurine traditionally represents one of the Three Wise Men Biblical Magi. A dry broad bean is also introduced inside the roscón. It is tradition that whoever finds the bean pays for the roscón.

In Mexico, central and South America, the figurine represents the Child Jesus. The figurine of the baby Jesus hidden in the bread represents the flight of the Holy Family, fleeing from Herod the Great's Massacre of the Innocents. Whoever finds the baby Jesus figurine is blessed and must take the figurine to the nearest church on Candlemas Day or host a party that day.

United Kingdom

The Twelfth cake, Twelfth-night cake, or Twelfth-tide cake was once popular in the United Kingdom on Twelfth Night. It was frequently baked with a bean hidden in one side and a pea hidden in the other; the man/lord finding the bean became King for the night, while the woman/lady finding the pea became the Queen – also known as the Lord or Lady of Misrule. Earlier, in the time of Shakespeare, there was only a Lord of Misrule, chosen by the hidden bean, reflected in Shakespeare's play Twelfth Night.

Samuel Pepys recorded a party in London on Epiphany night 1659/1660, and described the role the cake played in the choosing of a "King" and "Queen" for the occasion: "...to my cousin Stradwick, where, after a good supper, there being there my father, mother, brothers, and sister, my cousin Scott and his wife, Mr. Drawwater and his wife, and her brother, Mr. Stradwick, we had a brave cake brought us, and in the choosing, Pall was Queen and Mr. Stradwick was King. After that my wife and I bid adieu and came home, it being still a great frost."

Although still occasionally found in the United Kingdom, as the Industrial Revolution curtailed the celebration of the 12 days of Christmas during the Victorian era, the cake declined in popularity to be replaced by the Christmas cake. 18th century actor Robert Baddeley's will bequeathed £3 per annum to serve wine, punch and a Twelfth Night cake to the performers of the Drury Lane Theatre in the green room each Twelfth Night; the ceremony of the "Baddeley Cake" has remained a regular event, missed only 13 times in over 200 years, during wartimes or theatre closures.

United States

In Louisiana and parts of the Gulf Coast region historically settled by the French, king cake is associated with Mardi Gras and is traditionally served from Epiphany until Carnival and recently year-round. It may have been introduced by Basque settlers in 1718, or by the French in 1870.

It comes in a number of styles. The most simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted cinnamon roll-style dough. It may be topped with icing or sugar, which may be colored to show the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power. Cakes may also be filled with cream cheese, praline, cinnamon, or an assortment of fruit fillings.

Traditionally, a small porcelain baby, symbolizing Jesus, is hidden in the king cake and is a way for residents of Louisiana to celebrate their Christian faith. The baby symbolizes luck and prosperity to whoever finds it. That person is also responsible for purchasing next week's cake or hosting the next Mardi Gras party. Often, bakers place the baby outside of the cake, leaving the purchaser to hide it themselves. This is usually to avoid liability for any choking hazard.

In 2009, the New Orleans Pelicans basketball team introduced the King Cake Baby as a seasonal mascot. The New Orleans Baby Cakes (formerly the Zephyrs) were a AAA baseball team that played their final three seasons (2017–2019) with that name before relocating and becoming the Wichita Wind Surge.

Gallery

• Portuguese Bolo Rei
• Roscón
• Mexican Rosca de reyes
• Dreikönigskuchen in Switzerland

See also

• Barmbrack – a bread is associated with Hallowe'en in Ireland, where an item (often a ring) is placed inside the bread, with the person who receives it considered fortunate.
• Black bun – a Scottish fruit cake covered with pastry, originally eaten on Twelfth Night but now enjoyed at Hogmanay.
• Bean-feast
• Bread in Spain
• Ensaïmada
• Panettone – an Italian sweet bread served during the Christmas period.

References

1. Okholm, Trevecca (21 July 2020). The Grandparenting Effect: Bridging Generations One Story at a Time. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 134. ISBN 978-1-7252-5484-8.
2. ^ Eliza Barclay: Is That a Plastic Baby Jesus in My Cake, National Public Radio from 2012-2-17(englisch)
3. "History of King Cakes". New Orleans Showcase.
4. Papadopoulos, Madina (3 February 2016). "A Short History of King Cake's Long History". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
5. @NatGeoFrance (5 January 2022). "Épiphanie : d'où vient la tradition de la galette des rois ?". National Geographic (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2023.
6. "Tout savoir sur la galette des rois - Edélices". www.edelices.com. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
7. Margaret Hasluck, "The Basil-Cake of the Greek New Year", Folklore 38:2:143 (June 30, 1927) JSTOR 1256522
8. "L'histoire de la galette des rois et de la fève". L'Express (in French). 6 January 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
9. "So Who Were the Magi—AKA the Three Kings—Who Visited Jesus?". The Daily Beast.
10. Fieldhouse, Paul (2017). Food, Feasts and Faith: An Encyclopedia of Food Culture in World Religions. Bloomsbury.
11. "The King of Cakes at Mardi Gras". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
12. "I Bake This Delicious King Cake Every Year for Mardi Gras". Kitchn. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
13. Moskin, Julia (29 January 2013). "A City Drenched in Sugar". The New York Times.
14. "The galette des rois, a very French tradition". Consulat général de France à Toronto.
15. Mould, Michael (2011). The Routledge Dictionary of Cultural References in Modern French. Routledge. p. 17.
16. Le carnaval des familles
17. Philippe, Didier (2003). Petit lexique des fêtes religieuses et laïques. Paris: Albin Michel. p. 42. ISBN 978-2-22613-631-2.
18. ^ Alan Davidson, ed., The Oxford Companion to Food, 1st ed., ISBN 0192115790, s.v. 'Twelfth Night cake', p. 814
19. A Portuguese Christmas Retrieved 12 August 2013
20. Bolo-Rei: The King of Portuguese Christmas Cakes Retrieved 12 August 2013
21. The Battle for Lisbon’s best pastry Archived 2014-11-14 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 12 August 2013
22. A Foodie’s Guide to Christmas in Europe Retrieved 12 August 2013
23. Bolo Rei Portuguese Kings Cake – A treat for your Christmas table recipe Retrieved 12 August 2013
24. "Rosca de Reyes Recipe (Kings Day Bread)". My Latina Table. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
25. . The name Candlemas is derived from the use of candles on liturgical observances, representing the light of Christ presented to the world (John 1:9).
26. "Happy Candlemas! ¡Feliz Día de la Candelaria!". CancunSafe. NeuMedia. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
27. Oxford English Dictionary, 1st edition, 1916, s.v.
28. Macclain, Alexia (4 January 2013). "Twelfth Night Traditions: A Cake, a Bean, and a King -". Smithsonian Libraries. Retrieved 10 January 2018. According to the 1923 Dennison's Christmas Book, "there should be a King and a Queen, chosen by cutting a cake…" The Twelfth Night Cake has a bean and a pea baked into it. The man who finds the bean in his slice of cake becomes King for the night while the woman who finds a pea in her slice of cake becomes Queen for the night.
29. Lawrence, Anne (9 December 2016). "Christmas 2016: Twelfth Cake". Reading History. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
30. Dobson, Michael (15 March 2016). "Festivity, dressing up and misrule in Twelfth Night". British Library. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
31. Diary of Samuel Pepys
32. Baldock, James (26 December 2016). "Sea swimming, wassailing and minced lamb – 11 fun things you can do between Boxing Day and Twelfth Night". Metro. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
33. Ewbank, Anne (5 January 2019). "How £100 Bought an Obscure British Actor 224 Years of Cake and Fame". Gastro Obscura. Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
34. ^ Layla Eplett (4 March 2014). "Three Men and a Baby: A Brief History of King Cakes". Scientific American, Blog Network.
35. "How to Celebrate Twelfth Night in New Orleans". 2 January 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2017.
36. Byrn, Anne (2016). American Cake: From colonial gingerbread to classic layer, the stories and recipes behind more than 125 of our best-loved cakes. p. 18. ISBN 9781623365431. OCLC 934884678.
37. "Randazzo's Camellia City Bakery". Archived from the original on 7 May 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
38. ^ Stanonis, Anthony J.; Wallace, Rachel (2018). "Tasting New Orleans: How the Mardi Gras King Cake Came to Represent the Crescent City". Southern Cultures. 24 (4): 6–23. doi:10.1353/scu.2018.0043. S2CID 150226732.
39. Gladys L. Knight (2014). Pop Culture Places: An Encyclopedia of Places in American Popular Culture. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 568. ISBN 978-0313398827.
40. "History". King Cake.
41. "History of King Cakes". New Orleans Showcase.
42. Gaudet, Marcia (2003). "The New Orleans King Cake in Southwest Louisiana". In Gaudet, Marcia; McDonald, James C. (eds.). Mardi Gras, Gumbo, and Zydeco: Readings in Louisiana Culture. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. pp. 48–57. ISBN 1-57806-529-1.
43. "All Hail the King Cake". Epicurious.
44. Johnson, Richard (18 February 2017). "What is that terrifying NBA All-Star mascot in New Orleans this weekend?". SBNation.com. Retrieved 11 January 2021.

Bibliography

• 1991. Tradiciones Mexicanas. Pg 22, 31. Mexico, D.F., Ed. Diana S.A. de C.V., ISBN 968-13-2203-7
• 1998. Fiestas de México. Pg. 76, Mexico, D.F., Panorama Editorial S.A. de C.V, ISBN 968-38-0048-3
• Christmas Trivia edited by Jennie Miller Helderman, Mary Caulkins. Gramercy, 2002
• Marix-Evans, Martin. The Twelve Days of Christmas. Peter Pauper Press, 2002
• Bowler, Gerry. The World Encyclopedia of Christmas. McClelland & Stewart, 2004
• Collins, Ace. Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas. Zondervan, 2003

External links

• "Bean-King's Festival" . New International Encyclopedia. 1905.
• Martindale, Cyril (1908). "Christmas" . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. see LITURGY AND CUSTOM & Popular merry-making.
• Recipes: Portugal’s Bolo Rei
• EuroMaxx A La Carte Bolo Rei from Portugal recipe
• A State Mandated Christmas Bonus, a blog post by the Law Library of Congress, makes reference to the Rosca de reyes.

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Other protein dishes	Chahuis Chapulines Escamoles Huitlacoche Jumiles Maguey worm
Cheese dishes	Chicharrón de queso Quesadilla Queso en salsa Queso flameado
Antojitos	Empalme Enchilada Guajolota Nachos Quesadilla Taco Taquito Corn dough Cazuelita Chalupa Chilaquiles Chimichanga Chochoyote Corn tortilla Corunda Doblada Duros Gordita Huarache Molote Panucho Papadzules Piedra Salbut Sope or Memela Tamale Tlacoyo Tlayuda Tostada Totopo Wheat dough Burrito Cemita Gringas Mollete Pambazo Paste Sincronizada Torta Wheat tortilla
Sauces and condiments	Adobo Mole Mole blanco Mole poblano Mole verde Recado rojo Salsa Salsa verde
Desserts and sweets	Agave syrup Alegría Alfajor Arroz con leche Bionico Brazo gitano Cajeta de Celaya Capirotada Chongos zamoranos Churros Cocada Coyotas Flan de leche Dulce de leche Fried ice cream Mango con chile Marquesita Mazapán Nicuatole Orejas Panela Polvorón Tres leches cake Turrón
Salads	Caesar salad Curtido Nopalitos Guacamole Pico de gallo
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• Christmas food
• Culture of New Orleans
• Epiphany (holiday)
• Sweet breads
• Yeast breads
• Carnival foods
• Cuisine of New Orleans
• Christmas in Spain
• Christmas in the United Kingdom
• French cakes
• Catholic cuisine
• Christmas cakes