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King cake

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King Cake
Part of a Louisiana-style king cake with the baby figurine on top
Alternative names
  • Gateau de rois
  • kings' cake
  • king's cake
  • three kings' cake
  • galette des rois
TypeCake
Similar dishes

A king cake is a cake associated in many countries with Epiphany. Its form and ingredients is variable, but in most cases a fève (lit. 'fava bean') such as a figurine is hidden inside. After the cake is cut, whoever gets the fève wins a prize.[1][2] Modern fèves can be made out of other materials, and can represent various objects and people.[3]

History

Le gâteau des Rois, by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, 1774 (Musée Fabre)

During the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia there was a tradition, similar to today's, where a bean was hidden in a galette. This was used to choose the "king of the day".[4] In the Middle Ages, this activity became associated with Epiphany.

The king cake takes its name from the Biblical Magi. In Western Christian tradition, Epiphany celebrates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. The Eve of Epiphany is known as Twelfth Night.

Regional variants

France

Northern French style galette des rois.
Southern French style gâteau des rois

In northern France, Quebec, and Belgium it is called galette des rois in French or koningentaart in Flemish. In most of France it is a puff pastry filled with frangipane.

A paper crown is included with purchased cakes to crown the "king" (or queen) who finds the fève. To ensure a random distribution of the pieces, the youngest person to place themselves under the table and name the recipient of each piece as they are cut.[5]

A 2014 survey reported that 85 per cent of French people celebrated the Epiphany with the cake,[6] with nine per cent of the population enjoying more than five sittings. Sixty-eight per cent confessed to rigging the cake so that children found the fève.[7]

German-speaking countries

The German and Swiss Dreikönigskuchen 'Three king cake' are shaped like wreathes or rounds, and uses an almond as the fève.[8]

Portugal

Bolo-rei, (lit. 'king cake') is a traditional Portuguese cake eaten from the beginning of December until Epiphany.[9]

The recipe is derived from the French galette des rois which found its way to Portugal during the 1800s when Confeitaria Nacional[10] opened as the Portuguese monarchy's official bakery in 1829.[11]

The cake is round with a large hole in the centre,[12] 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 faba bean, and tradition dictates that whoever finds the fava has to pay for the cake next year.[13]

Spanish-speaking countries

A Spanish "roscón de reyes" with cream

The roscón de reyes is celebrated in Spain and other Hispanic countries, such as Mexico. 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.[14]

The tradition of placing a bean, candy or figurine of the Child Jesus inside the cake is followed. 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[15] or host a party that day.[16]

United States

Traditional American king cake baby

In the Southeastern region, particularly Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, king cake is associated with Mardi Gras and is served during Carnival[4] and year round.[17] It may have been introduced by Basque settlers in 1718,[18] or by the French in 1870.[19]

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.[4]

Cakes may also be filled with cream cheese, praline, cinnamon, or strawberry. A so-called "Zulu King Cake" has chocolate icing with a coconut filling.[20]

Traditionally, a small porcelain baby,[21] symbolizing Jesus, is hidden in the king cake and is a way for residents of New Orleans to celebrate their Christian faith.[22] The baby symbolizes luck and prosperity to whoever finds it. That person is also responsible for purchasing next year's cake[23] or hosting the next Mardi Gras party.[20][24] Bakers have recently been placing the baby outside of the cake to avoid liability for any choking hazard.[25]

In 2009 the New Orleans Pelicans introduced the King Cake Baby as a seasonal mascot.[26]

United Kingdom

The Twelfth Cake, Twelfth-night cake, or Twelfth-tide cake[27][8] 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[28] - also known as the Lord or Lady of Misrule.[29] 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.[30]

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, mothers, 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."[31]

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,[32] 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.[33]

  • Portuguese Bolo Rei
    Portuguese Bolo Rei
  • Majorcan roscón
    Majorcan roscón
  • Mexican Rosca de reyes
    Mexican Rosca de reyes
  • Dreikönigskuchen in Switzerland
    Dreikönigskuchen in Switzerland

See also

References

  1. ^ "History of King Cakes". New Orleans Showcase.
  2. ^ Eliza Barclay: Is That a Plastic Baby Jesus in My Cake, National Public Radio from 2012-2-17(englisch)
  3. ^ Papadopoulos, Madina. "A Short History of King Cake's Long History". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  4. ^ a b c Layla Eplett (2014-03-04). "Three Men and a Baby: A Brief History of King Cakes". Scientific American, Blog Network.
  5. ^ Philippe, Didier (2003). Petit lexique des fêtes religieuses et laïques. Paris: Albin Michel. p. 42. ISBN 978-2-22613-631-2.
  6. ^ "Plus de 8 Français sur 10 fêtent l'Epiphanie". ladepeche.fr (in French). Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  7. ^ "La galette des rois prolonge la fête". leparisien.fr (in French). Le Parisien. 4 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  8. ^ a b Alan Davidson, ed., The Oxford Companion to Food, 1st ed., ISBN 0192115790, s.v. 'Twelfth Night cake', p. 814
  9. ^ A Portuguese Christmas Retrieved 12 August 2013
  10. ^ Bolo-Rei: The King of Portuguese Christmas Cakes Retrieved 12 August 2013
  11. ^ The Battle for Lisbon’s best pastry Retrieved 12 August 2013
  12. ^ A Foodie’s Guide to Christmas in Europe Retrieved 12 August 2013
  13. ^ Bolo Rei Portuguese Kings Cake – A treat for your Christmas table recipe Retrieved 12 August 2013
  14. ^ "Rosca de Reyes Recipe (Kings Day Bread)". My Latina Table. 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  15. ^ According to the Jewish tradition, a firstborn male infant was to be presented to God in the Temple forty days after his birth to be redeemed from serving as a Temple priest (Leviticus 12, Exodus 13:12–15, see Pidyon HaBen). 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).
  16. ^ "Happy Candlemas! ¡Feliz Día de la Candelaria!". CancunSafe. NeuMedia. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
  17. ^ "How to Celebrate Twelfth Night in New Orleans". Retrieved 2017-01-07.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ "Randazzo's Camellia City Bakery". Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  20. ^ a b 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.
  21. ^ Gladys L. Knight (2014). Pop Culture Places: An Encyclopedia of Places in American Popular Culture. p. 568. ISBN 978-0313398827.
  22. ^ "History". King Cake.
  23. ^ "History of King Cakes". New Orleans Showcase.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ "All Hail the King Cake". Epicurious.
  26. ^ Johnson, Richard (18 February 2017). "What is that terrifying NBA All-Star mascot in New Orleans this weekend?". SBNation.com. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  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 (December 9, 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 Dec 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. ^ Margaret Hasluck, "The Basil-Cake of the Greek New Year", Folklore 38:2:143 (June 30, 1927) JSTOR 1256522
  35. ^ Gregory S. Aldrete, Alicia Aldrete, The Long Shadow of Antiquity: What Have the Greeks and Romans Done for Us?, ISBN 144111663X, p. 84

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". Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 22, 2005. Primarily subhead Popular Merrymaking under Liturgy and Custom.
  • 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
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