King cake is a traditional baked product eaten during Christmas and Carnival celebrations in many cultures. It is named after the three kings who visited the newborn Christ, and contains a hidden ornament, usually a child. The season for eating king cake begins on January 6 and lasts until Carnival, with different variations of the cake found in different countries. In the US, it is typically cinnamon bread covered in frosting and eaten during Mardi Gras.
King cake is a baked product characterized by the seasonal Christmas and Carnival traditions of numerous cultures. It has many different types of spellings and names, such as king cake or three kings cake, depending on which country the holiday is celebrated in. Baked in the cake is an ornament of some sort, usually a child, which gives certain responsibilities to the person who discovers it.
The cake takes its name from the three kings of the biblical tradition, who traveled from the East to see the newborn Christ. King cake is eaten in association with the Feast of the Epiphany. This is the day some Christians celebrate the revelation of Jesus as the human incarnation of God, to the three non-Jewish or Gentile kings from the East. The little boy hidden in the cake represents the discovery of the Christ-child.
The season for eating king cake begins on January 6, called Epiphany, and lasts until Carnival, which ends the day before Ash Wednesday, 40 days before Easter Sunday. The Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday is called Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday. It is traditionally the last night to indulge any sensual cravings before the fast begins, during Lent. Depending on the country, king cake may be offered on the Epiphany holiday, at Mardi Gras, or every week in between.
In the United States, king cake is eaten on or around the day of the Mardi Gras festival, held primarily in New Orleans, Louisiana and other cities along the Gulf Coast. French and Spanish settlers, who were predominantly Roman Catholic, brought Carnival traditions with them to the New World. In the United States, king cake is typically cinnamon bread, twisted into a garland shape and covered in frosting. New Orleans’ traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, gold, and green are displayed on the cake, usually in colored frosting or sprinkles.
In Spanish-speaking countries, the king cake is an oval cake decorated with fruit. This variation of the king’s cake is called rosca de reyes and is eaten on Epiphany. In some countries, the person who finds the Christ-child takes him to church on Candle Day, February 2. In Mexico, the finder must provide atole and tamales at a party he hosts that day.
The French call the cake the galette des rois. This king cake is eaten for several days around Epiphany. The feve is the collectible trinket, which can represent nearly any figure or event from religion or popular culture, featured in the cake. The person who finds the ornament is pronounced king and adorned with a paper crown.
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