Galette, Mary & the Bull

At the train station last week, I noticed a sign (written only in English) advising consumers to beware of the dangers of consuming Galette des Rois—a dangerous almond pastry.  I can only imagine the surprise of a tourist who unknowingly cracked a tooth on a porcelain charm while innocently enjoying their cake.

But to the French, the soft clink of teeth meeting pottery while eating galette would come as no surprise.  In fact, for them it would be a reason to celebrate.  The tradition of hiding trinkets in cake dates back to Roman times, but more recently the French have used it to celebrate Epiphany.

The first Sunday of each new year, Epiphany marks the arrival of the Wise Men to greet baby Jesus and his family.  It celebrates the story of men who acted against a powerful and threatening ruler to follow a bright star to Bethlehem.  All of this was done in a grand act of faith spurred by a mere dream that revealed the birth of the Messiah.

I can only imagine the joy that the men must have felt upon finally reaching the child who was destined to save the world.  What an epiphany it must have been.  In typical French style, the people decided to celebrate such a journey by mimicking the quest and hiding a figurine of Baby Jesus in a cake.  

And so the tradition began. 

Each year the French send their youngest child to sit under the table while the rest of the family slices the galette into equal shares.  The child then announces who will receive the first, second and third piece of cake until each has been evenly distributed.  Only then can the careful eating commence.

Each person gently chews the almond pastry anticipating the clunk of teeth on pottery, until someone chomps down on a ceramic Baby Jesus.  The lucky eater is then nominated the Rois (King or Queen) and wears the crown for the rest of the evening.  The Rois is then expected to bring the galette for the next gathering, continuing the tradition throughout the month of January.

Today the figurines are more diverse, and instead of expecting a Baby Jesus, the trinkets range from rolling pins to villagers to donkeys.  From the galettes shared in our apartment, we now have a praying Mother Mary and a bull.  I like to joke about Mary keeping watch over my roommates and I from our stovetop. 

As I splatter the figurines with oil and spices from frying pans for the next few months, I’ll remember galette and the anticipation of the Magi.  Maybe when I move out in a few months, Mary and the bull will make it into my suitcase to be baked into cakes for years to come.