Galette des Rois: Kings' Cake

The holiday season is my favorite time of year: the whole city is decorated and lit up, and the holidays End of the year that last for several days feel as if they were celebrated for several months.

The year was 2012, and I had just landed for a month-long visit. The year had only just begun a few days ago, and there were still some sweet memories of the festivities on the streets: fir trees that had finished their work, piled up on the sidewalks, waiting to be picked up by the municipality, leftover decorations in stores, and of course the holiday chocolates that were sold at a discount (I'll give you a little tip: it's more profitable to buy them after the holiday than before, as the prices even drop by half).

On my way out to do my errands, I passed by the neighborhood patisserie, and in the window was displayed a special cake, a cake that is not part of the regular view. The cake was round, orange, made of puff pastry and had a crown on top. When I asked the saleswoman what the cake was about, she replied with Parisian arrogance that it was the Kings' Cake or in French La Galette des Rois, and I smiled, said thank you, and returned home.

What is Galette de Roe?

My curiosity was piqued by the strange cake in the window, so I returned to the patisserie. While gritting my teeth with a broken French accent, I asked for an explanation of the cake, and of course all I understood was cake, and puff pastry.

So what exactly is a cake made from puff pastry? And its name is King's Cake.

Three Kings' Cake is a traditional cake associated with the Feast of the Epiphany, a Christian holiday celebrated because it is said that God appeared in human form, that is, Jesus.

The cakes are called King's Cake, to commemorate the 3 ancient kings who came from the East to Bethlehem to worship Jesus, the "King of the Jews," after his birth. The arrival of the three kings is celebrated on the Feast of the Epiphany.

The cake probably has its roots in a Roman celebration that took place around 200 BC. Every early January, the Romans celebrated an annual festival to the god Saturn, during which they would choose a king for a day from among their slaves. The choice was made by serving a giant cake to the slaves, one of whose slices contained a piece of bread. The slave who received the bread was allowed to be king for a day and to ask for anything on his day of office.

Later, the cake tradition spread to France. The Middle Ages And was adopted as the official cake of the Epiphany, with the polka dot serving as a symbol of the baby Jesus. The church soon decided that this was a pagan custom and banned it. To get around the edict, the name of the holiday was changed from “Kings’ Day” to “Twelfth Night Day.”

The tradition has even survived French Revolution, during which kings were unpopular to say the least. Its name was changed to the Equality Cake, as a symbol of granting equal opportunities to all

The original pastry, said to have been baked 300 years ago, was made of a dry, baguette-like dough, coated with sugar and filled with quinoa (usually containing beans, as beans were a common vegetable at the time). Today, it is a sweet, cinnamon-filled, braided yeast pastry, shaped like a hollow circle, with a glazed coating of colored sugar.

The cake is sold until the end of February, as befits the French, who like to take their time, with the holiday itself taking place on January 6. The development of the galette sector is reminiscent of what has been happening in French patisserie in recent years. The competition to be creative, even when it comes to classic-traditional desserts.

The French are willing to accept outside-the-box thinking, and agree to accommodate structural changes to the all-too-familiar desserts, which have centuries of tradition behind them (see entry 1).Christmas tree traditional).

Galettes come in various shapes and are filled with interesting and less traditional fillings. You can find galettes filled with chocolate, galettes filled with pistachios or apples, and more.

According to tradition, the galette should be cut into as many slices as there are participants at the event. The youngest child gets under the table and must say who each slice goes to, without seeing which slice was cut. The one who finds the surprise in the slice of galette is crowned king for the day.

The custom of hiding the bean in the cake lasted until the end of the 19th century. During this period, the tradition was slightly changed and whoever found the bean was indeed king for a day. However, precisely because of this, finding the surprise had the opposite effect and instead of the person who won the bean and was supposed to get what he wanted, he was forced to please everyone.

To avoid the unpleasantness, people began to swallow the bean, without admitting that it was in their possession, and so they began to hide figurines in the cake, which could no longer be swallowed. The small figurines made of ceramic/porcelain were made in various shapes, from religious symbols to horseshoes for good luck.

Whoever eats the cake should take into account that he risks, at best, becoming king for a day, at worst, his throne will become the dentist's chair, who will treat his broken teeth. I personally know a friend who had her tooth broken by the statuette.

Recipe for Galette du Roi

Want to make the Galette du Roi and are looking for a recipe? How about making the cake according to the recipe of the Ambassador's chef? France In Israel?

So we won't argue that the center of the most amazing, beautiful, creative, and luxurious pastries of all is inParis , Right?
We also won't argue that puff pastry is one of the most beloved, delicious, and majestic doughs there is – right?
So what do you think about the King's Cake?
Would you like to take a bite and try your luck?
You are invited to bake and flood us with photos in the Facebook group. Paris and Ile-de-France.