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Let’s celebrate the Wise Kings! A January treat
When I was a child living in France, I remember how fun it was to celebrate the Kings all the month of January. Nowadays, you can even find cakes, called Galettes des Rois, in the middle of December.
In France it is a tradition to invite all of your best friends and family in January. Most French are booked almost every evenings and weekends when they are not gone skiing! In Switzerland you normally find the cake from the last week of December until the 6th of January, the day of the Epiphany.
But what is this celebration all about?
The cake is made to remember when the Wise Kings (Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar) came to welcome the baby Jesus in Bethlehem.
It is normal to hide a porcelain bean in the cake. Whoever gets it chooses a King or a Queen and wears a crown. Young children in schools love to do that in France. You can make your crown if you prepare your own cake, but most of the time it comes with the cake itself. Also, if you gets the bean, you suppose to invite back the friend who had invited you for the king cake !
What kind of cake is the King cake? In France, they have two types of cake:
- a frangipane, a buttered flaky cake with an almond paste in the middle.
- a brioche type of cake with candied sugar at the top. It has a spiral shape.
In Switzerland, you find round brioches with almonds and raisins. (see picture above).
All cakes are delicious and better if eaten warm or lukewarm.
Enjoy this January tradition!
