French Tradition:la Galette Des Roisaround France
The Galette des rois (‘king cake’) is a dessert that is traditionally served in French households on 6th January, Epiphany. It is a central part of Christmas cuisine in France, but the ingredients and appearance of this pudding vary greatly across the different regions of the country. In Paris and the north of France, the galette takes the form of a puff pastry tart (a recipe for which can be found HERE) filled with frangipane, while in Provence, the equivalent gâteau des rois is a round brioche cake with a whole in the middle, to make the shape of a wreath or crown. It is decorated with candied fruits and sugar granules, which represent jewels, and can be flavoured with cognac or with orange blossom.
There may be several different recipes for the galette des rois, but they are all united by the traditional idea that the dividing up of the cake will ‘tirer les rois’ (‘draw the kings’) to the Epiphany. In addition, the galettes always contain a single little charm, or fève, that hidden inside. Historically, there really would be a fève (‘broad bean’) inside, but in the 19th century this was replaced by small ornaments or figurines. The person who finds this trinket within their slice will become king or queen for the day, and will have to offer the cake at the following year’s celebration. To ensure a random and fair distribution of the cake shares, it is traditional for the youngest person to place themselves under the table and name the recipient of each piece.
Formerly, the galette would be divided into as many pieces as there were guests, plus one. This final slice was called ‘the share of God’, or ‘the share of the poor’, and would be given to the first poor person who arrived at the door asking for charity.
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FAQs
The galette des rois is a cake traditionally shared at Epiphany, on 6 January. It celebrates the arrival of the Three Wise Men in Bethlehem. Composed of a puff pastry cake, with a small charm, the fève, hidden inside, it is usually filled with frangipane, a cream made from sweet almonds, butter, eggs and sugar.
What is the ritual when eating La Galette des Rois? ›
A big part of why galettes des rois are so popular is that everyone wishes to find la fève in their slice. So to keep the game fair, when serving a galette, tradition dictates that the youngest guest hide under the table and call out guests' names, who are then served their slices. No cheating allowed!
What are the rules for galette des rois? ›
To ensure a fair distribution of the slices, the youngest child goes under the table once the cake is cut. The child then calls out the names of fellow guests, one by one, to allocate them their slice of galette des rois.
What happens to the person who finds the fève in the galette des rois? ›
Everyone chews their slice of galette very slowly until the fève is found. The lucky one who gets the figurine becomes the King or Queen of the day and gets to wear the crown. The King or the Queen then chooses her or his queen or king.
What is a fun fact about galette des rois? ›
A giant 1.2m galette is prepared for the Elysée each year but the pastry chef is not allowed to bake a fève into it. This is because it's considered inappropriate for a king to be crowned in the presidential palace.
Why do the French celebrate La Fete des Rois? ›
La Fête des Rois. takes place on 6 January, the 12th day after Noël. (Christmas), when Christians celebrate Epiphany, the arrival of the Three Kings after the birth of Jesus.
What do the French drink while eating the galette des rois? ›
The favoured drink to accompany the Galette are cider, champagne or anything sparking.
Why is the galette eaten on January 6th? ›
In France, the slightly more restrained Galette des Rois is enjoyed on January 6th in celebration of the Epiphany, said to mark the arrival of the Three Kings in Bethlehem. Families come together on or around this date to share their galette, into which is baked a small ceramic baby charm (the “fève”).
What is a fun tradition for families while eating galette des rois? ›
We call the act of sharing the Kings' cake “tirer les rois”. This literally means “to draw the kings”. Indeed according to tradition, the youngest member of the family or smallest host, must go under the table. He is the one who decides whom will get each slice.
What is often hidden in La Galette des Rois? ›
You may well ask. The trick here is that hidden somewhere within the galette is the féve - the literal translation being a bean - for some lucky recipient to find. If they find it in their slice, they can claim the golden crown which is always provided along with a galette des rois, as in the photograph above.
La galette des rois (traditionelle): this is the traditional flaky pastry and almond creme galette. It is also sometimes called Pithiviers.
What is the trinket for galette des rois? ›
You can use any trinket or charm as long as it's around 3cm or less and is safe to go into the oven. Usually a ceramic or porcelain item is your best bet. PREFER TO SHOP ONLINE? Luckily there are many places to find classic and absolutely adorable fèves online to purchase.
What is the story behind the galette des rois? ›
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. As time went on, the cake became a key fixture at the 17th century French court during the time of Epiphany .
What is the charm in the galette des rois? ›
The galette itself is simple: puff pastry covering a disc of damp frangipane, hidden within which is a china bean or charm; the person who gets this charm becomes king for the day and is crowned with the gold-paper crown which comes automatically with the cake as sold in French pâtisseries.
What is the difference between king cake and galette de Rois? ›
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.
