One of the things we love about France, in addition to great driving roads, is its traditions. There are lots of them - often involving food, drink and socialising with friends and neighbours. Many are rooted in historic or religious events. That said, if there is an excuse to get together for food, drink and good times, no one is going to worry about the origin of the event!
The Epiphany brings us the tradition of the Galette de Rois (cake of the king). This celebration symbolises the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus and is celebrated on January 6 of each year, although the cake is eaten throughout January. But you don't just buy a cake and eat it ... it's far more complicated than that. It’s such a big deal that the boulangerie often has a special bag just for the occasion.
So how does it work? A fève (tiny porcelain charm or 'favour') is hidden in each cake. The cake is cut up for the number of guests plus one (for a stranger who may pass by) and the youngest person (most innocent) has to decide who gets what piece of the cake so there can be no 'cheating'. The person who finds the fève becomes king for a day and wears the crown - yes, the boulanger gives out a crown with each cake! The king also traditionally buys the next cake.
So, after four years of Stephen being king for the day (yes he has struck lucky every time), who would take the crown this year? Well ... we can announce that it was a Queen Stephanie's year!
Queen Stephanie still had to clean up the aftermath - that puff pastry has a habit of shooting all over the place. You’d never believe it was just three people eating a piece of cake! But it was an excuse to get together with our neighbour and pass a good moment or two. We may even go for another round this year to see if Stephen can win back his crown!
For history buffs, in Roman times a slave was designated 'king' and had the power to grant all his wishes during the day before allegedly being put to death (or more likely just returning to slavedom). During the French Revolution, anything related to a king was understandably viewed negatively, so the cake became the Galette de l'Égalité which gave the French no reason to not continue to enjoy it.
There is actually a word for people who collect the féves from the galette des rois - la fabophilie (or favophilie). One lady in Alsace has collected 152,000 fèves. We have five …. a bit of catching up to do …. what time does the boulangerie open ….