In France throughout the month of January (and into February too), pretty much every bakery carries Galette des Roi, which translates to King Cake. I’m told January 6th is the official King Cake day, but it was also made clear to me that you can enjoy a King Cake celebration any day, all month long.
Though the tradition stems from the Catholic Day of Epiphany and is tied to the Nativity Story and the Three Kings, we’ve attended several King Cake gatherings over the years and we’ve never heard anyone mention Epiphany or the Three Kings, so it seems like one of those traditions that has become pretty secular.
The way it works in France (at least in Normandy), starts with the baker, who bakes a “fève” into the cake, and includes a paper crown with each purchase of Galette des Roi. Fève translates as bean, but they don’t really use beans. Instead, they use tiny ceramic figurines. The fèves can be anything — people, symbols, Pokemon, animals, etc.. Whoever gets the fève in their slice of cake, is crowned King.
Here’s a peek at the little Galette des Roi celebration we had at home:
The tradition we were taught is that the youngest person gets under the table. As the cake is sliced, they call out who gets each slice. The idea is to prevent any cheating, in case one slice seems to be likely to have the fèves. (Though it’s also helpful if you want to make sure the youngest wins the fèves.) Tradition also says that whoever wins the crown is in charge of buying the next Galette des Roi.
When it’s not a pandemic, and towns all over France host Vide Greniers (community tag sales), it’s easy to find someone with a jar full of fèves they’ve collected over the years. It’s fun for anyone to comb through the jar and pick out their favorite. Each fève typically costs just a few centimes and they make a happy little souvenir. Here’s a closeup of some of the fèves we’ve collected:
Galette des Roi are pretty to look at, and they’re flaky and delicious too. In Normandy, Galette des Roi usually have Frangipane (almond) filling, but you can also find Pomme (apple) filling in this region — pomme will typically have leaves on the top. I’ve heard other regions offer other varieties.
Have you ever eaten Galette des Roi? Or perhaps you live in a region/country outside of France where they eat some version of King Cake? This tradition is not something I grew up with at all. In fact, I wasn’t aware of King Cake until we moved to France the first time. But I sure like it. It’s simple and sweet and fun.
