Christmas & HolidayDessertProvencal RecipesTasteVirginie Van Der Wees

Galette des Rois Recipe and Epiphany in Provence

Epiphany on January 6th

The “Three Kings day” is a real party at home. We like to make the “galette” ourselves and share this moment with the family. Besides, January is the month we celebrate my brother’s birthday (January 3) and mine (January 5). We would be delighted to welcome you for an immersion in Provence at this time and share these moments with you.

Before that, you surely have a lot of questions about the Three Kings day:

What is the origin of the galette des rois?
When do we eat it?
Are there different galettes between the North and the South of France?

Through this article, you will find all the answers to your questions and more.

La Fête des Rois in France

La fête des Rois est une vraie fête à la maison. Nous aimons faire la galette nous-mêmes et partager ce moment en famille. De plus, janvier est le mois pendant lequel nous fêtons l’anniversaire de mon frère (le 3 janvier) et le mien (le 5 janvier). Nous serions ravis de vous accueillir pour une immersion en Provence à ce moment-là et de partager tous ces fêtes avec vous.

Avant cela, vous avez sûrement pleins de questions concernant la fête des rois :

Quelle est l’origine de la galette ?
Quand la mange-t-on ?
Y a-t-il une différence de galette entre le Nord et le Sud de la France ?

A travers cet article, vous trouverez toutes les réponses à vos questions, et plus.

Origin of the Galette des Rois

For many French people, the Three Kings day consists of eating frangipane galette: the king’s pancake. The tradition of the galette des rois finds its origin in the Christian religion. This is the Epiphany. The Christian meaning is found in the visit to Jesus, who had just been born, by three wise men from the East, called Gaspard, Melchior and Balthazar.

Pour beaucoup de Français, la fête des rois consiste surtout à manger de la galette à la frangipane : la galette de rois. En réalité, la tradition de la galette des rois trouve son origine dans la religion chrétienne. Il s’agit de l’Epiphanie. Le sens chrétien se trouve dans la visite à Jésus, qui venait de naître, de trois mages venus d’Orient, appelés Gaspard, Melchior et Balthazar.

January Celebration

This feast is a religious feast. It is celebrated on January 6th. Epiphany is not a holiday. It can be celebrated on the second Sunday after Christmas. In fact, the French celebrate Epiphany throughout January. Throughout this period, magnificent galettes des rois adorn the windows of bakeries and pastries to the delight of young and old.

Cette fête est une fête religieuse. Elle est célébrée le 6 janvier. L’Epiphanie n’est pas un jour férié. Elle peut se fêter le deuxième dimanche après Noël. En réalité, les Français célèbrent l’Epiphanie tout au long du mois de janvier. Pendant toute cette période, de magnifiques galettes des rois ornent les vitrines des boulangeries et pâtisseries pour le grand plaisir des petits et des grands.

Picking the King

According to tradition, Epiphany is the occasion to pick the kings. This practice has its origins in Roman times. A bean (or small figurine) is hidden in the cake. It was in 1311 that the bean, the vegetable hidden in a puff pastry, was identified for the first time. A coin then replaced it, then an article in Saxony porcelain from 1875. It became plastic in the 1960s. Today the fève can be made of different materials and take different shapes.

Selon la tradition, l’Epiphanie est l’occasion de tirer les rois. Cette pratique trouverait son origine à l’époque romaine. Une fève est cachée dans la galette. C’est en 1311 que la fève, le légume, cachée dans une galette feuilletée est identifiée pour la première fois. Elle est ensuite remplacée par une pièce de monnaie, puis un article en porcelaine de Saxe à partir de 1875. Elle devient plastique dans les années 1960. Aujourd’hui, elle peut être constituée de différents matériaux et prendre différentes formes.

Who Gets the First Slice?

The youngest of those present hides under the table while an adult cut the pancake into slices. The child tells which person is going to eat the slice until it is used up. This ritual allows you to distribute the galette des rois randomly. My kids love it. But that’s the case with all little French people, I think.

Galette des rois Epiphny Cake @FibiTee

La plus jeune des personnes présentes se cache sous la table pendant qu’un adulte découpe la galette en parts. L’enfant dit à quelle personne va la part de la galette jusqu’à épuisement de celle-ci. Ce rituel permet de distribuer la galette des rois au hasard. Mes enfants adorent ça. Mais c’est le cas de tous les petits Français, je pense.

The Crown

Once the slices have been distributed, the guests eat the galette. The person who finds the bean symbolically becomes the king or queen. She can then choose her royal partner.

Une fois que les parts de galette ont été distribuées, les convives mangent la galette. La personne qui trouve la fève, devient symboliquement le roi ou la reine. Elle peut alors choisir son partenaire royal.

Galette des Rois (Epiphany cake)
Here is what Phoebe has to say: Making your own Galette des Rois is very simple, assuming you can get hold of ready-made puff pastry. In France, we’re spoilt with excellent quality puff pastry that comes ready-rolled with its own baking paper, available in every supermarket.  And even better than that, during the festive period, roughly December and January, kits of puff pastry with a crown and figurine are sold too!
Check out this recipe
Galette des rois Epiphny Cake @FibiTee

Making the Galette

In most regions of France, the galette des rois is made from puff pastry and frangipane (also known as a pithivier). It is golden in the oven. In south-eastern France, galette des rois is a crown-shaped brioche dough flavoured with orange blossom and garnished with candied fruit and pearl sugar. They are sold with golden or silver cardboard crowns. The frangipane cake is becoming more and more present everywhere in France. If you can’t find galettes in your country, you can make them yourself.

Dans la plupart des régions en France, la galette des rois est faîte à base de pâte feuilletée et de frangipane (pithivier). Elle est dorée au four. Dans le Sud-Est de la France, la galette des rois est une pâte à brioche en forme de couronne parfumée à la fleur d’oranger et garnie de fruits confits et de sucre perlé. Elles sont vendues avec des couronnes en carton dorées ou argentées. La galette à la frangipane devient de plus en plus présente partout en France. Si vous ne trouvez pas de galettes dans votre pays, vous pouvez très bien la réaliser vous-mêmes.

Galette des Rois
A classic Christmas cake made from puff pastry, filled with frangipane and a small treasure or feve hidden inside.
Check out this recipe
Galette des Rois Kings Cake Provence @CocoaandLavender

Author’s Bio:

Virginie en ProvenceVirginie Van Der Wees lives with her young family near the Montagne Sainte Victoire, a short 20-minute drive from Aix-En-Provence. She is a masseuse and a certified French teacher for non-French speakers. Since 2018, Virginie puts together full immersion experiences that include hosting and supporting language learners at their family home. The Virginie in Provence curriculum allows students to build on their knowledge and move to the next level and beyond while enjoying the wonders that Provence offers. Suitable for any age group, Virginie offers adapted, tailor-made solutions for clients who are moving to Provence. This program allows them to improve their French and overcome cultural changes. Virginie also provides classic French lessons and cooking lessons (in French) online or at the client’s home.

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Virginie Van Der Wees

Virginie Van Der Wees lives with her young family near the Montagne Sainte Victoire, a short 20-minute drive from Aix-En-Provence. She is a masseuse and a certified French teacher for non-French speakers. Since 2018, Virginie puts together full immersion experiences that include hosting and supporting language learners at their family home.

The Virginie in Provence curriculum allows students to build on their knowledge and move to the next level and beyond – all while enjoying the wonders that Provence has to offer. Suitable for any age group, Virginie offers adapted, tailor-made solutions for clients who are moving to Provence. This program allows them to improve their French and overcome cultural changes. Virginie also provides classic French lessons and cooking lessons (in French) online or at the client’s home.

2 Comments

  1. Régine
    February 8, 2021 at 7:44 pm — Reply

    The galette des rois presented here is not typical of Provence, where the pastry served is a brioche shaped as a crown with candied fruits and white sugar beads.

    • February 9, 2021 at 7:28 am — Reply

      Hello and thank you for your comment regarding this article and for following Perfectly Provence. You are correct the gateau des rois (brioche shaped like a crown) is traditional in Provence, but the galette is also found in the region and many people enjoy both.

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