Eric mentioned the other day that he hasn't had any King Cake yet this Mardis Gras season. King Cakes are only sold during Mardi Gras (this year Jan. 6-Feb. 16) so one has a limited time frame in which to eat them. I picked one up in the grocery store yesterday. Sometimes they're really good, sometimes, eh, not so much. They're not cake-like at all, more like a giant danish, and they come in all flavors; strawberry, blueberry, apple, lemon, etc. Our favorites are cream cheese and bavarian creme. The fruit ones are too goopy and overly sweet. The one I bought yesterday, above, is bavarian creme and very fresh. Excellent. It's almost gone already.Here's a little history on the King Cake. It is believed to have originated in 12th century France. They honor the three kings or wise men. The round shape symbolizes their circular route. Purple, green, and gold, traditional Mardi Gras colors, represent justice, faith, and power, respectively. I've also seen many black and gold King Cakes this season. Sorry, no, not Steelers colors this year. We're celebrating the Saints! Anyway, historically, a bean, pea, or coin was hidden inside the cake. The person who found the hidden object was declared King for the day or granted good luck for the year. Today, a tiny plastic baby, representing baby Jesus, might be hidden. To prevent choking in small children, they're usually sold with the cake, but not inside, the hiding left to the discretion of the buyer. Bon appetit!
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4 comments:
I agree it depends on where you buy your king cake how good it will be. I like Pronia's king cakes. There is a store in Sulphur that people claim make the best king cakes. Now the little baby is outside the cake to be hidden by the person who buys it. The person who gets the piece with the baby is expected furnish the next king cake. I've heard of only one store that makes them year round but I forgot where it is. People from New Orleans like their king cakes with colored sugar only. As with anything, there are many varitions on this.
Nice photo, Angie. I like Bavarian creme, too. Cinnamon's on Kirkman makes really good king cakes, as does Market Basket.
Are the beads edible?
No, the beads are just decoration. Beads are a big part of the Mardi Gras celebration, especially at the parades. Beads are thrown from the floats to the spectators.
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