Today I made a Galette des Rois- a king’s cake. It is a cake to remember
the three Wise Men arriving at the stable to see baby Jesus.
In France from Epiphany, you can buy or make either a Couronne des Rois or
a Galette des Rois. La Couronne des Rois is the Crown of the
Kings-a round yeast based cake with a hole in the middle (like a crown) which
is studded with glace fruit which symbolise the ornate jewels. A Galette is
made with two rounds of puff pastry and traditionally filled with
frangipane. My family prefer
stewed pears and lots of chocolate. Inside either cake there is a small china
figurine called a fève. Traditionally
the family asks the youngest child to go under a table and then he/she calls
out the names of the people at the ‘party’- each person therefore receives a
piece of the cake. Whoever finds the fève in their piece of cake is crowned
King or Queen for the day, and is entitled to a treat.
This tradition continues all through January. It takes place at home, in
restaurants, in the school classroom and at small parties all over France.
There are collectors of the fève, (and yes I do have quite a collection
of them…) the companies who mass-produce the cakes launch new fève collections
each year. The theme of a collection may be based on a Disney film, wild
animals of the world, cars, different foods etc…There are websites where you
can buy collections too.
My Galette was delicious!!!
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