La Galette des Rois

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Tomorrow is the Day of the Kings, Epiphany, and in France, we celebrate it by sharing a King's Cake, also called La Galette des Rois. In France, the cake can be found in most bakeries during the month of January. Two versions exist: in Northen France the cake consists of flaky puff pastry layers with a dense center of Frangipane (filling made with almonds). In the south of France, the cake is a torus-shaped brioche with candied fruits.

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 their slice becomes king of the day. Originally, la feve was a broad bean and then replaced in 1870 by a ceramic figurine representing baby Jesus.

The cakes are usually sold with a paper crown to crown the "king" who finds the fève.
To ensure a random distribution of the cake shares, it is traditional for the youngest person to place themselves under the table and name the recipient of the share which is indicated by the person in charge of the service.

We are now serving la Galette des Rois at La Cuisine!