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Writer's pictureJay

Galette des Rois, France

Updated: Dec 21, 2018


Galette des Rois, French culture, New year, monnomestjay

- What is Galette des Rois? -

Galette des Rois, the only cake that makes you feel like a king. A warm, flaky, buttery tart filled with frangipane — a sweet, delicious almond cream. Inside this scrumptious cake, there is a tiny hidden charm -- la fève, a tiny figure made out of porcelain. The cake normally comes with a paper crown, in order to crown the "king" who finds the fève in their piece of cake. For those who don't like almonds, shops also got different flavors such as apples, chocolate, and Nutella! I have been told that one must eat their slice of Galette des Rois with their hands instead of the fork and knife so that you don't spoil the surprise.


This year I got the figure in my slice of cake. Now, Shut up and kiss my toes :P


Galette des Rois, French culture, New year, monnomestjay

- A Really Short History -

In France, the tradition of galette des rois dates back to the 14th century. The cakes are part of the celebration of Epiphany, the 6th of January, when the three kings turned up to give gifts to Baby Jesus. The fève hidden in the cake was originally a fava bean.


Galette des Rois, French culture, New year, monnomestjay

- The Right Way Eating Galette de Rois -

  1. Warm up your galette des rois in the oven.

  2. Divide the cake so there’s one slice for each guest, plus one extra slice. The extra slice is the ‘part de pauvre’, the poor man’s slice, for any unexpected visitor or poor person who stops by the house.

  3. Ask the youngest child in the group hides under the table so they can’t see the cake.

  4. As the slices are plated up, the child calls out the name of the person who should receive that slice.

  5. The person whose slice contains la fève is king for the day and wears the paper crown.


- Galette des Rois Nowadays -


Today, galette des rois is eaten throughout the month of January and is simply a festive way to celebrate the new year with family and friends. Here are two fun galette des rois that I found on the internet.


1. Galette du Zizi (The dick cake)

See? They even got those mini dick figures, how thoughtful!

Galette des Rois, French culture, New year, monnomestjay, zizi

2. Fromage de Rois (The king's cheese)

Instead of a cake, a shop of Pont des Loups Farm in Saint-Aubin (A small city in Eastern France) sells king's cheese with a cute cow figure inside!


Galette des Rois, French culture, New year, monnomestjay

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