The French want little encouragement to slather their meals with butter and cheese, particularly in winter. Cassoulet, tartiflette, potatoes swimming in melted butter, tacky gratins, and wealthy meat stews are wintry favourites. Nevertheless, if there may be one dish that captures the sentiment of winter in France, it might be the galette des rois – the ‘cake of kings’. A crisp and golden masterpiece of pastry, it’s the most regal of all pâtisserie concoctions due to a golden paper crown historically perched on high. Uncover the historical past of the galette des rois.
What’s a galette des rois – king’s cake?
The galette des rois is solely winter meals, and that’s not simply because of the copious quantities of butter folded into that flaky pastry. The ‘kings’ (‘rois’) of the title comes from the three kings visiting child Jesus at the start of January – often known as Epiphany within the Christian calendar. After Christmas and New 12 months once you’re full to bursting with oysters and foie gras, the start of the yr can really feel considerably lacklustre. Galettes des rois are the best post-Christmas deal with and consuming them is in style via the entire of January.
There are two forms of Galettes des rois. Significantly within the north of France they’re huge flat pies made with flaky pastry and full of creamy almond paste or frangipane enriched with crème pâtissiere. They’re additionally identified and bought as pithiviers throughout the remainder of the yr, so don’t fear when you miss out in winter, the celebration might be rescheduled. Nevertheless, it’s solely in winter that these plate-sized pastries are given the title of the cake of kings and sport a crown.
Within the south, notably in Provence, the dessert is extra festive-looking and made out of brioche. That is topped with sticky candied fruits and pearl sugar and full of cream flavoured with orange blossom. It’s known as the ‘brioche des rois’, or ‘coca’ within the unique Occitan language.
The identify ‘galette’ isn’t restricted to this flaky pithivier – it’s a catch-all time period meaning one thing flat and spherical reminiscent of galettes de sarrasin, the long-lasting buckwheat crêpes from the Brittany.
The historical past of the Galette des Rois
Regardless that they’re historically consumed on or round January 6th, boulangeries begin promoting galettes des rois as quickly as winter begins. Solar-shaped due to its affiliation with the winter solstice, it’s the must-eat dessert of the season. The historical past of the galette des rois goes again greater than 700 years, this basic pastry is a part of the French culinary panorama simply as a lot because the baguette. In the course of the French Revolution, kings desserts had been known as Gâteau de l’egalité, the cake of equality as something with a royal connotation being frowned upon.
There’s a distinctive custom related to this dessert. Hidden inside each galette des rois is a small appeal, a fève. The origin of the cake might return so far as the Roman instances when worshippers of the God Saturn ate collectively for in the future a yr – be they slave or grasp. Within the 14th century monks in Besancon, Lorraine, japanese France appointed their chief by placing a gold coin in a loaf of bread, he who acquired the coin gained the job. Over time the bread grew to become brioche or galette with a bean and the broader French inhabitants adopted the desserts as an annual deal with.
Little porcelain figures of Jesus then changed the bean, although through the French Revolution they weren’t permitted and a Phrygian cap, an emblem of freedom, was in style. As of late porcelain and plastic charms function not simply non secular figures however animals, footwear, purses, and celebrities of every kind from Girl Gaga to Bart Simpson. They’re in style as collectors’ objects too – a 16-year-old lady from Dordogne not too long ago featured in a newspaper together with her assortment of 10,000 fèves!
Galette des Rois traditions
When it’s time to get caught into the cake, the entire household gathers across the desk, and the youngest member hides beneath and chooses who receives which slice thereby making certain there isn’t any favouritism! That is known as the ‘tirage des rois’ – the drawing of kings. The one that will get the appeal (and that you must watch out to not choke on it or break a tooth), turns into le roi or la reine for the day and wears the paper crown.
Nevertheless there may be one one who isn’t allowed to participate within the ceremony. The President of France is prohibited from consuming a galette des rois with a fève inside. In accordance with guidelines made through the French Revolution, the nation can have a president however no king!
Perhaps the galette des rois’ endurance of 700 merry years, irrespective of how buttery, wealthy and scrumptious it’s, is just because it’s an excuse to be a king for simply in the future.
Wish to make a standard northern French-style galette des rois at residence – click on right here for a scrumptious recipe
Ally Mitchell is a blogger and freelance author, specialising in meals and recipes. Ally left the UK to dwell in Toulouse in 2021 and now writes about her new life in France on her meals weblog NigellaEatsEverything.
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