History of the Galette des Rois King’s Cake

The French need little encouragement to slather their food with butter and cheese, especially in winter. Cassoulet, tartiflette, potatoes swimming in melted butter, cheesy gratins, and rich meat stews are wintry favourites. However, if there is one dish that captures the sentiment of winter in France, it would be the galette des rois – the ‘cake of kings’. A crisp and golden masterpiece of pastry, it is the most regal of all pâtisserie concoctions thanks to a golden paper crown traditionally perched on top. Discover the history of the galette des rois.

What is a galette des rois – king’s cake?

The galette des rois is exclusively winter food, and that’s not just due to the copious amounts of butter folded into that flaky pastry. The ‘kings’ (‘rois’) of the title comes from the three kings visiting baby Jesus at the beginning of January – also known as Epiphany in the Christian calendar. After Christmas and New Year when you’re full to bursting with oysters and foie gras, the beginning of the year can feel somewhat lacklustre. Galettes des rois are the ideal post-Christmas treat and eating them is popular through the whole of January.

There are two types of Galettes des rois. Particularly in the north of France they are big flat pies made with flaky pastry and filled with creamy almond paste or frangipane enriched with crème pâtissiere. They are also known and sold as pithiviers during the rest of the year, so don’t worry if you miss out in winter, the party can be rescheduled. However, it’s only in winter that these plate-sized pastries are given the title of the cake of kings and sport a crown.

In the south, particularly in Provence, the dessert is more festive-looking and made from brioche. This is topped with sticky candied fruits and pearl sugar and filled with cream flavoured with orange blossom. It’s called the ‘brioche des rois’, or ‘coca’ in the original Occitan language.

The name ‘galette’ is not limited to this flaky pithivier – it’s a catch-all term that means something flat and round such as galettes de sarrasin, the iconic buckwheat crêpes from the Brittany.

The history of the Galette des Rois

Even though they are traditionally consumed on or around January 6^th, boulangeries start selling galettes des rois as soon as winter begins. Sun-shaped thanks to its association with the winter solstice, it’s the must-eat dessert of the season. The history of the galette des rois goes back more than 700 years, this classic pastry is part of the French culinary landscape just as much as the baguette. During the French Revolution, kings cakes were called Gâteau de l’egalité, the cake of equality as anything with a royal connotation being frowned upon.

There is a unique tradition associated with this dessert. Hidden inside every galette des rois is a small charm, a fève. The origin of the cake may go back as far as the Roman times when worshippers of the God Saturn ate together for one day a year – be they slave or master. In the 14^th century monks in Besancon, Lorraine, eastern France appointed their leader by putting a gold coin in a loaf of bread, he who got the coin won the job. Over time the bread became brioche or galette with a bean and the wider French population adopted the cakes as an annual treat.

Little porcelain figures of Jesus then replaced the bean, though during the French Revolution they were not permitted and a Phrygian cap, a symbol of freedom, was popular. These days porcelain and plastic charms feature not just religious figures but animals, shoes, handbags, and celebrities of all kinds from Lady Gaga to Bart Simpson. They’re popular as collectors’ items too – a 16-year-old girl from Dordogne recently featured in a newspaper with her collection of 10,000 fèves!

Galette des Rois traditions

When it’s time to get stuck into the cake, the whole family gathers around the table, and the youngest member hides underneath and chooses who receives which slice thereby ensuring there is no favouritism! This is called the ‘tirage des rois’ – the drawing of kings. The person who gets the charm (and you need to be careful not to choke on it or break a tooth), becomes le roi or la reine for the day and wears the paper crown.

However there is one person who is not allowed to take part in the ceremony. The President of France is prohibited from eating a galette des rois with a fève inside. According to rules made during the French Revolution, the country can have a president but no king!

Maybe the galette des rois’ endurance of 700 merry years, no matter how buttery, rich and delicious it is, is simply because it’s an excuse to be a king for just one day.

Want to make a traditional northern French-style galette des rois at home – click here for a delicious recipe

Ally Mitchell is a blogger and freelance writer, specialising in food and recipes. Ally left the UK to live in Toulouse in 2021 and now writes about her new life in France on her food blog NigellaEatsEverything.