La Galettes des rois (King's cake) what is its origin? - Le Petit Paris (2024)

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La Galettes des rois (King's cake) what is its origin? - Le Petit Paris? ›

In France, the tradition of the Galette des Rois was introduced in the Middle Ages by the Benedictine monks, who celebrated the holiday of Epiphany in honor of the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. They prepared a special pastry called the “cake of kings” or “Galette des Rois” for the occasion.

Slaves were freed for a day, and a “king” was selected at random from among them to rule over the festival. Later on, during the Middle Ages, a French group of Benedictines filled puff pastry with almond frangipane to celebrate the Three Kings' visit to the Savior. Thus, the Galette des Rois was born.

The King Cake is believed to have originated in France around the 12th century. These early Europeans celebrated the coming of the three wise men bearing gifts twelve days after Christmas calling it the Feast of the epiphany, Twelfth Night, or King's Day.

The Difference in Mardi Gras King Cake and Galette des Rois

One is VIBRANT. While the traditional Galette des Rois is more simple in design with the puff pastry as the star as the show, the Mardi Gras King Cake is covered in icing and Mardi Gras-colored sugar.

Fun Facts about the Galette des Rois

those were the days when kings and queens had their heads chopped off. The French President has a galette des rois but isn't allowed to “draw the king” on Epiphany. Entirely inappropriate for a King to be crowned in the President's Elysée Palace!

The Moulin de la Galette (Galette Mill) was first evoked in 1622 under the name of the Moulin du Palais (Palais Mill). It entered into the possession of the Debray family in 1809 and was used to produce flour. In 1870 it was transformed into an outdoor dance hall like the neighbouring Radet mill.

Traditionally, Epiphany is celebrated on January 6th, 12 days after Christmas. Beginning around the 13th or 14th century, sharing a Galette des Rois became a popular way to celebrate this occasion, with the cake signifying the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem.

The colors of the icing (and the royal colors of Mardi Gras) have a deeper meaning. Gold represents power, green is associated with faith, and purple illustrates justice. King Cake is a frosted seasonal treat usually eaten between January 6, known as King's Day or Twelfth Night, and Fat Tuesday.

In the 1940s, a baker named Donald Entringer solidified the baby-in-the-cake tradition when a traveling salesman approached him with an offering of small porcelain dolls. Entringer began baking the porcelain dolls into his king cakes to symbolize baby Jesus and the tradition was born.

The history of the king cake came from European and Roman Catholic roots, which made its way into the New Orleans area in the 1870s. In contrast to the French king cakes, which are a flaky puff pastry, the New Orleans style is similar to the Spanish tradition, which is oval-shaped and topped with icing.

What is hidden in La Galette des Rois? ›

The “king” is represented by the fève, once a fava bean, now a porcelain or plastic figurine, hidden inside the cake. The person who discovers the fève in their serving is declared le roi (the king) or la reine (the queen) and gets to wear the golden paper couronne (crown) that comes with cake.

This also explains the name of the dessert that's eaten on this day, the galette des rois, which translates to “kings' cake”. It's similar to the king cake served in New Orleans in the U.S., a nod to the state's French influence; but in France it's not multi-colored, and it's only served on or around Epiphany.

The Galette des Rois is essentially frangipane encased within puff pastry and decorated by making cuts in the surface of the pastry. It's served in slices and can be eaten both hot and cold.

In France, the tradition of the Galette des Rois was introduced in the Middle Ages by the Benedictine monks, who celebrated the holiday of Epiphany in honor of the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. They prepared a special pastry called the “cake of kings” or “Galette des Rois” for the occasion.

The best wines to pair with galette des rois

The best food and wine pairings with a frangipane puff pastry are a sweet white wine or a sparkling wine. Indeed, Champagnes go well with this sweet and gourmet dessert.

Celebrating Kings Day with a flaky and delicious Galette des Rois has been a tradition dating back centuries, and hiding a cute little trinket called a "fève" inside is the most fun part!

The galette has its origin in the Brittany region of France dating back to Norman times – when it was known as a gale – and the term simply refers to a flat crusty cake.

Vassilopita is the must-have New Year cake in Greece which is the equivalent of the galette de rois in France, by putting a “flouri” (a coin) wrapped in aluminum foil instead of a bean.

Its name is derived from gale, which means flat in Norman, where this tart originates from. Normandy also happens to be the apple growing region of France.

This tradition dates back to the 12th or 13th century when the monks of St. Michel, France would choose their Epiphany king by means of this cake. Many countries celebrate this day with a sweet bread or cake shaped in a crown to commemorate when the three kings visited Jesus, in Christian tradition.