Bonne Année de Provence 🇫🇷!

Bonjour et Bonne Année de Provence 🇫🇷! 

I arrived home from 2 weeks in the US spending the holiday with for the first time in a long time..all 3 of my children ( and the grandchildren) and also a few days with all of my siblings, my brother from LA and sister from Asheville. I have beaucoup des bons souvenirs to bring back with me. Today I woke up to the Provençal sun beaming in my south- facing window with the view of the Luberon. Magnifique ! It is January 5, a very busy day for all the pâtisserie chefs in France. Today, all over France, the French will be placing their orders for their Galette des Rois to pick up tomorrow for the feast of Epiphany ( the 12th day of Christmas) to mark the end of the festive season . Christmas Eve is all about oysters and foie gras, January 6th is about Galette des Rois ( King Cake). It is a frangipane tart made with pâte feuilleté ( puff pastry), butter, and ground almonds.. In the south of France, you might be eating a brioche -style galette with candied fruit. I find the French love tradition to celebrate seasons as well as marking days in the year to get together with family and friends. Celebrations and feasts seem to be a priority in their lives. On January 6th each year to celebrate the feast of Epiphany, which is when the three kings turned up to give gifts to Baby Jesus, the tradition is to eat this galette usually with a verre de champagne or Cidre ( de Normandy). 

The tradition of eating the galette dates back to the 14th century. According to tradition, the cake was to draw the kings to the Epiphany. Interestingly during the French Revolution the name was changed to “Gâteau de l’égalité “ because it was not a great thing to be a king at that particular time in history! 

The Galette des Rois has a very old protocol that is followed. The youngest child has to hide under the table as the galette is being cut. He or she tells whoever is cutting the cake who will receive each piece. Whoever receives the fève ( word for bean and I still have French friends who use a fève in their galette) names their king or their queen, who gets to wear the crown and be the boss for the day. Before, in medieval times, the person who received the fève would have to buy the next cake and many times he or she  would swallow the bean so as to not have to buy it! In 1870, the fève was replaced by a variety of figurines made out of porcelain from Limoges ( now most are plastic 😢).  Always a piece of the cake  is reserved for someone who might pass by knocking at the door ..someone that is poor and begs for something to eat. This is called “la part de Mon Dieu ( God’s piece) or “la part de la Vierge”( the Virgin Mary’s piece). 

What are you doing tomorrow January 6th? Maybe just a normal work or school day ? Most everyone in France 🇫🇷 will have their cake ..and eat it too! At the Élysée Palace, an enormous galette ( 1.2m in diameter) is made for President Macron. Just a note, the artisan pâtissier is not allowed to put a fève in this galette ( for obvious reasons! ).

J'espère que vous passez une bonne fête demain ! 

Bises ,

Beth