King cake

A king cake (sometimes rendered as kingcake or kings' cake) is a type of cake associated with the festival of Epiphany in the Christmas season in a number of countries, and in other places with Mardi Gras and Carnival. It is popular in Christmas season in France ("galette/gâteau des Rois"), Portugal ("Bolo Rei"), Spain ("Roscón de Reyes" and in Catalonia called "tortell"), Greece and Cyprus ("vasilopita") and Bulgaria ("banitsa"). In the United States, which celebrates Carnival ranging from Mobile, Alabama to East Texas, centered on New Orleans it is associated instead with Mardi Gras season traditions.

The cakes have a small trinket (often a small plastic baby, sometimes said to represent Baby Jesus) inside, and the person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket has various privileges and obligations.

History

In southern U.S.A., the tradition was brought to the area by colonists from France and Spain. King cake parties in New Orleans are documented back to the eighteenth century.

Related culinary traditions are the "tortell" of Catalonia, the "gâteau des Rois" in Provence or the "galette des Rois" in the northern half of France, and the Greek "vasilopita". The "galette des Rois" is made with puff pastry and frangipane (while the "gâteau des Rois" is made with brioche and candied fruits). A little bean was traditionally hidden in it, a custom taken from the Saturnalia in the Roman Empire: the one who stumbled upon the bean was called "king of the feast." In the "galette des Rois", since 1870 the beans have been replaced by porcelain and, now, plastic figurines; while the "gâteau des Rois" often contains both a bean and a figurine.

Samuel Pepys (whose wife was French) recorded a party in London on Epiphany night, 6 January 1659/1660: "...to my cosen Stradwick, where, after a good supper, there being there my father, mother, brothers, and sister, my cosen 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." [ [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Diary_of_Samuel_Pepys/1660/January#6th Diary of Samuel Pepys] ]

The choosing of King and Queen from the pie, usually by the inclusion of a bean and a pea, was a traditional English Twelfth Night festivity (see there for other early English references).

New Orleans king cake

The king cake of the Creoles,New Orleans Mardi Gras tradition comes in a number of styles. The most simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted bread similar to that used in brioche, also similar to the American cinnamon roll, topped with icing or sugar, usually coloured purple, green, and gold (the traditional Carnival colors) with food colouring. Some varieties have filling inside, the most common being cream cheese followed by praline. Popular bakeries such as Gambino's, Haydel, and Randazzo, feature original recipes and types of king cakes.

The "king cake" takes its name from the Biblical three kings. Catholic tradition states that their journey to Bethlehem took twelve days (the Twelve Days of Christmas), and that they arrived to honor the Christ child on Epiphany. The season for king cake extends from the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Twelfth Night and Epiphany Day), through to Mardi Gras day. Some organizations or groups of friends may have "king cake parties" every week through the Carnival season.

Mexican King Cake

"La Rosca de Reyes" (King Cake) in Mexico is traditionally eaten in January 6th, during the celebration of the "Día de Reyes" (Wise Men Day). In central and southern Mexico, this is the day when children get presents from the Three Wise Men (not from Santa). The Mexican “rosca de reyes” has an oval shape. For decoration Mexican people use dried and candied figs, quinces, cherries, etc.

The tradition of placing a candy or a bean inside the fruitcake is followed. Whoever finds the bean or candy is forced to spiritually to take a “niño Dios” (a representation of baby Jesus) to the nearest church on the 2nd of February (Día de la Candelaria). The replacement of the bean or candy for a plastic or ceramic “niño Dios” emerged to prevent people avoiding their responsibility by swallowing the bean or candy.

French King Cake

“La galette des Rois” (the cake or "wafer" of the Kings) is a cake celebrating the Epiphany and traditionally sold and consumed a few days before and after this date. In modern France, the cakes can be found in most bakeries during the month of January. The cake consists of flaky puff pastry layers with a dense center of frangipane.

Tradition holds that the cake is “to draw the kings” to the Epiphany. A figurine, which can represent anything from a car to a cartoon character, is hidden in the cake and the person who finds the trinket “la fève” (literally the broad bean) in their slice becomes king for the day and will have to offer the next cake. Broad beans were initially used, but they were replaced in 1870 by figurines out of porcelain or - more recently - plastic. Nevertheless, these trinkets are still called “fèves.” As there is a wide variety of figurines, they are 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 themselves under the table and name the recipient of the share which is indicated by the person in charge of the service.

Formerly, one divided the cake in as many shares as 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.

The French President is not allowed to “to draw the kings” on Epiphany because of the etiquette rules.

The trinket

The traditional trinket in the cake is a bean, still seen in some European traditions but rare in U.S. king cakes. It is echoed, however, in some krewes' use of a gilded bean trinket.

In the US Gulf Coast since the 1950s, the most common trinket has been a small plastic baby. Many people say this represents the baby Jesus, tied in to the connection with Epiphany. Many people attach no particular religious significance to the cake or trinket. The "baby in the king cake" was said to have become common after a New Orleans area bakery chain got a large shipment of such plastic baby dolls from Hong Kong very cheaply in the 1950s, and some people say there is little further significance to the baby, but earlier ceramic baby dolls as trinkets are documented in New Orleans back to the 1930s. A trinket representing a king wearing a crown is the next most common design of trinket. Trinkets in the form of other figures have also been seen historically, and starting in the 1990s again became more common in the more expensive "gourmet" varieties of king cake. The common plastic baby of today is usually colored pink, brown, white or gold. Due to the choking hazard posed by small trinkets, some bakeries opt to include the "plastic baby" separately from the pastry. The plastic babies are most often found separately in cakes from stores not native to New Orleans such as Sav-A-Center, whereas local bakeries are more likely to sell cakes with babies already inside. Usually when kingcakes are ordered to be shipped out of New Orleans the cake and trinket are packaged separately so that the plastic baby will not pose a choking threat to kingcake novices.

Privileges and obligations associated with the trinket

The person who gets the trinket is declared the King or Queen of the day. Sometimes there are separate cakes to select the males and females; the one for women is sometimes called a Loomis Cake. The king or queen is usually obligated to supply the next king cake or host the next party or both. King cake parties may be held at the homes of people who live on or near the routes of Carnival parades.

It is a common practice in elementary and secondary schools to have king cake parties, usually on a Friday. The person who receives the trinket is required to bring the cake the following week.

In some workplaces, a variation on this tradition is simplified so that workers share a king cake at lunch or during the day, with the person receiving the trinket bringing the cake for the next workday.

Some krewes select their monarchs via king cake.

See also

Barmbrack

Sources

*cite web | title=Christmas | work=Catholic Encyclopedia | url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm | accessdate=December 22 | accessyear=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

References

External links

* [http://www.mardigrasunmasked.com/mardigras/king_cake.htm King Cakes on Mardi Gras Unmasked site]
* [http://www.realcajunrecipes.com/recipes/cajun/king-cake-traditional-orleans/544.rcr Recipe for Traditional New Orleans King Cake at RealCajunRecipes.com]
* [http://www.nolacuisine.com/2007/01/06/king-cake-recipe King Cake recipe at NOLA Cuisine]