What is a king cake anyway?
What is a king cake anyway?
It's King Cake season, so naturally Broad Street isĀ serving upĀ their version of theĀ bejeweledĀ brioche classic.Ā Ā But don't let the innocent, plastic baby fool you.Ā AllĀ may not beĀ so sweet with theĀ history of thisĀ bejeweled pastry. It's true, the King Cake we serve in the statesĀ is a descendant of the French gateau des rois from France, served there to celebrateĀ the feast of the Epiphany.Ā The cake, itself, is designed to represent the crown of the three kings, who came upon the baby Jesus of the Bible. ButĀ as it turns out France borrowed thisĀ tradition from theĀ Saturnalia festival of the Roman Empire, where a beanĀ represented a fruitful harvest and a healthy year ahead.Ā And if you know a bit about this pagan festival, the connection to our modern day Mardi GrasĀ becomes a little more clear.Ā Ā Let's just call it a necessary bit of excess and evil before the solemn days of Lent. According to a podcast of Stuff You Missed In History Class, "Saturnalia was a Roman festival honoring Saturn, the god of sowing. It was "the best of days," according to Catullus ā everyone's favorite holiday. And there ain't no party like a Saturnalia party, because a Saturnalia party don't stop. It lasted for seven days. There is mention by Lucian of the feasting of slaves and the clapping of frenzied hands, along with some nude singing. During the weeklong celebration, business, schools and courts were closed. Slaves wore their master's clothing, party guests chose a Lord of Misrule and everyone put aside their formal togas for lighter garments. Sound familiar? For more information check out the podcast: http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2009/12/25/this-week-in-history-podcasts-flight-failures-and-festivities/