The History Behind France’s King Cake—& Its Hidden Trinket

Just after Christmas every year, baguettes and croissants move out of the spotlight in French bakeries (at least temporarily) to allow the galette des rois—the king cake—to take their place. A puff pastry pie filled with rich frangipane, it’s a delightful treat sure to please any fan of marzipan.

But while many choose their galette for its filling—which nowadays can run the gamut from plain to pistachio, chocolate to coconut-turmeric—few spend as much time thinking about that most emblematic of additions: the fève. (Americans may know its equivalent, the "baby" hidden inside a New Orleans-style king cake.) Its very presence, according to tradition, designates the “king” of the festivities each January 6th.

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Source Credit: https://food52.com/blog/27718-what-is-french-king-cake