The Kings' Galette, a cake that defies the laws of time

You eat it every year but you don't really know her... Discover today the true tradition of the Galette des Rois, a patisserie full of history!

Only a week after the new year is celebrated an emblematic celebration for some Western countries: the Kings' Day. On this occasion, the French, Spanish, Luxembourgish, Belgian, Quebecker and Swiss in particular delight themselves with an original cake: the cake of kings.

Considered as a religious feast that symbolizes the arrival of the Magi Kings to Jesus, this commemoration is in fact inspired by ancestral traditions that date back to Antiquity.

Wanderlix invites you to a journey around the world and times to discover the origin of this iconic cake.

The tradition of the galette of kings through time

Antique Rome...

Often celebrated on the first Sunday of January during the Epiphany, the feast of the Kings is, in the collective imagination, associated with the Christian religion. However, as the majority of Christian events, the feast of the Kings is inspired by a much older pagan tradition.

Because it’s at Rome during the antiquity that we find the first traces of the feast of the Kings. Every year at that time, between the end of December and the beginning of January, the Saturnals were celebrated. These were carried out in honour of the Saturn God, a powerful master of the winter solstice period.

Unique, the Saturnals were the subject of an original ceremony, to which the slaves were invited. Moreover, the latter were the main source of attraction of the party. In fact, during the Saturnals, a cake similar to the present galette of kings was shared according to the number of slaves present.

Inside the famous cake was hiding a bean. The parts of the cake were distributed by a child whose age guaranteed innocence, considered to be an Apollo oracle, hiding under the table. The slave who pioched the bean became the King of the Day and could claim any favor to his master who was to perform. At the end of the day, the slave returned to her condition. This tradition was intended to strengthen the bonds between masters and servants.

... Until the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

In the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, the tradition of the Kings' Day takes a whole new twist and becomes an extremely popular celebration by the aristocrats. They take it and abuse it: entertainment is excessive, banquets are more and more pompous. The dukes, lords and kings find this feast so rejoicing that they celebrate it several times in the year in an atmosphere of debauchery and demeasure.

The tradition of King of the Day is still preserved: a woman who stings the bean is entitled to ask any favor to the king. This tradition is quickly abolished by Louis XIV who opposes this practice, but the idea persists. A lord, duke, knight... can thus become the King of the Day . They have fun: we choose his queen, his servants, his horses... This even goes to create “wars for laughter” between the false and the true king.

Although this tradition sometimes becomes outrageous, some aristocrats take advantage of this opportunity to make good action. This is the case of Duke Louis de Bourbon II who, at the feast of the Kings, takes as habit to crown, for the day, the poorest child in the village. The child thus owns his own servants, his royal clothes and can give orders. At the end of the day, the Duke offers a substantial amount of money to the child’s parents so that the child has access to education. It is also at this time that “the part of the good god or the virgin”, the first part of the galette of the kings distributed to the poorest inhabitants.

The galette, Republican or religious?

In the Middle Ages, Christians are inspired by the Roman Saturnals to associate the Festival of Kings and the sharing of the galette with the Epiphany. This day is, according to the Bible, the one where the Magi Gaspard, Melchior and Balthazar, who came from the East, first met the child Jesus.

However, some Lutherans, Calvinists and Catholics protest the extravagant and demeaning side of the Roman pagan feast. They expressed their disagreement in 1664 in the Senlis Canon.

In spite of this, in the collective imagination, the celebration of the Epiphany on the day of the feast of the Kings is quickly imposed, eclipsing even the Saturnals from which the true tradition of sharing the galette is inspired.

It is also to the Christians to whom we owe the fixed date of the feast of the Kings. Indeed, until the 1960s, the Epiphany was a holiday that fell on January 6. However, through the Vatican II , it was decided to set the celebration of the Epiphany on the first Sunday after the first January so that the faithful could go to Mass that day.

Beyond the religious aspect, however, it should not be forgotten that the galette of kings was and also remains a cake symbol of secularity and republic. Indeed, during the French Revolution, the feast of the Kings was abolished for obvious reasons. She reborn a few times later under the holiday name of Equality. The galette of the kings thus obviously becomes the galette of Equality and does not have a bean. Its shape also evolves from the traditional round cake to a pâtisserie in the form of a phrygien cup. She will find her original form a few years later.

The galette of kings is therefore, at that time, the symbol of a profound change within society. In order to pay tribute to this revolutionary period, the President of the Republic has been receiving a giant Galette of Equality every year since 1965. It therefore does not contain either a bean or a crown in memory of the legacy of the French Revolution and respect for the principles of the Republic.

The cake

Whether we celebrate the Kings’ feast for religious reasons or not, it is an opportunity to gather together with friends or family around a new cake that we eat only on this occasion.

Team frangipane VS Team brioché

The recipe of the cake and its appearance differ according to the French regions: frangipane , cake of kings , reiaume , patissou , garfou ... There are dozens of them. However, in most of the territory, it is the frangipane cake that prevails over its competitors. Indeed, of the 94% of the French who want to eat cake at least once in the year, 70% say they choose the frangipane cake.

This cake would have been invented by a noble Florentine, the Marquis de Frangipani, several centuries ago. It was the second wife of Henri IV, Marie de Medici, who, leaving Italy , was given the recipe of a cream with almond powder, prepared by the cook of his closest sigh, Count Frangipani. The recipe rains the Court of France and is always appreciated today.

Although the frangipane cake dominates the market, the brioche with candied fruits and ice sugar is also very popular. Most commonly referred to as the cake of kings, it is mainly found in the south of France. His name changes, passing from Bordeaux to Bordeaux to the kingdom Montpellier but his composition remains the same. Scented to the orange blossom to lessen its dry side, the delicately placed fruits on it represent the jewels of the crown. These are not essential but add a colorful touch to a rather simple appearance cake.

The galette of kings around the world

Particularly appreciated by the French, the custom of the galette of kings has spread throughout the world.

We find it at the New Orleans the king-cake , a pastry shop similar to the cake of the French Kings that the Americans taste in Mardi-gras. rosca at Mexico is also a copy of the French cake brought in in their country by Mexican emigrants in France. The neighbouring countries of France also resume tradition: try to taste the driekoningentaart en Belgium Dutch or Swiss galette. ♪ Spain However, the feast of the Kings is a very important ceremony for the population who is very attached to religion.

The beans, legumes or porcelain?

Whether during antiquity or contemporary times, having bean is always an enchantment for young people or for adults. Indeed, although the tradition of R Day oi of Antiquity or the Middle Ages is no longer relevant, but it is still pleasant to find in its part a porcelain bean. Some who are called fabophiles have a passion to collect these.

For the beans are, despite appearances, charged with History. At the beginning, the bean inside the cakes bears its name since it is... the real light! In the ancient times, it is one of the symbols of the winter solstice and then perfectly corresponds with the celebration of the Roman Saturnals.

The bean is also a symbol of fertility: it contains an embryo and gives life when it dies. Its size is also an asset: neither too small nor too large and sufficiently flat, it is perfect to be introduced inside the cakes and pass unnoticed. It is also a vegetable that we find almost everywhere, which has no difficulty in pushing: so everyone could afford the luxury of celebrating the Kings’ Day.

Initially, porcelain beans represented only symbols of fertility such as babies, dolls... Little by little, they diversify with animals, symbols of luck or santons.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, a certain Mr. Lion decided to launch a moon-shaped beacon with the name and address of his trade. This is the first advertising party.

In 1960, the first plastic beans appeared. Cheaper, they take the step on the porcelain. These are the ones we know today who have no relationship with the nursery and are often characters of cartoons, novels, legends...

Recette de la Galette Frangipane

This journey around the world and times has opened your appetite? It's a good thing! Wanderlix offers you the recipe of the authentic cake of the frangipan kings. Don’t forget to put the bean there!

Ingredients

• 2 leafy paste;
• 100 g of ice sugar;
• 2 eggs;
• 1 teaspoon of bitter almond coffee;
• 125 g powdered almond;
• 75 g of soft butter;
• 1 egg yellow

Preparation

• In a bowl, put the soft butter. Mix it with ice sugar then add the almond powder, then the eggs and finally the bitter almond;
• Spread a dough disc. With a brush, brush the tower on about 2 cm of egg yellow. Put the beans in the center and the frangipane;
• Recover quickly with the second dough disc and press the edges (softly). Repeat the tower about 1.5 cm and press more strongly to weld the two discs together;
• Make crumbs with the tip of a knife without crossing the paste and brush the whole egg yellow;
• Bake 40 minutes (thermostat 8).