Let Them Eat Cake!

   As the month of January came to a close, so did this year's crowning of kings and queens across France. And no, if confused thoughts of guillotines come to mind, your memory hasn't failed you: France has long since disposed of its monarchy.

   I'm referring to an annual tradition involving a certain pastry that the French enjoy each January: the galette des rois. Translated as "the Three Kings’ cake" or "the Wise Men's cake," this treat is consumed on the epiphany (January 6) and further made and consumed through the end of the month. In the north of France, including Paris, the cake is a buttery, flaky, encrusted marzipan cake. On the other hand, the south of France consumes a sort of candied, fruit-filled brioche.

   The distinctive feature of this cake, regardless of region, is carefully hidden within: a little porcelain figurine, or fève, is baked into the cake. When the whole group has gathered to eat the cake, the youngest person in the group hides under a table or otherwise out of sight of the cake as it is cut into slices. The youngest person is then charged with the task of blindly assigning one piece to each person in the room. The winner, or one who finds the fève (hopefully not also finding a chipped tooth in the process), is then crowned king or queen. The newly crowned royalty gets to buy or bake the next cake to keep the sweets coming throughout the month. At least these days when a crowned individual suggests eating cake, the reception is far less negative than back in the days of real royalty. Let them eat cake, indeed.