Having an Epiphany on January 6 with Galette des Rois, a French Treat

Many countries in 2010 marked the Epiphany or Twelfth Night on January 3.

If you are a stickler for tradition, as I am in some instances, you might want to stick with the official date of January 6.

Especially if you grew up with the Galette des Rois tradition where a bite on the Feve would give Queens the right to pick their Kings and Kings to choose their Queens, if only for a day.

This goes way back if I am to trust France in London which tells us that La Feve (the "charm") "was, until the 1960s, a real dried bean, but since, little ceramic figures are used, generating a collectors' and trading business." 

They also trace the "galette" origins way back.

"The oldest finding of the "Galette des rois" goes back to 1311, where a chart of Robert, bishop of Amiens, talks about a custom to "draw the kings" with a light fluffy galette. during the French Revolution, the name was replaced with "galette of Equality", because there was no more kings."

Even though France in London suggests a number of French Bakeries as proper stops for a 'Galette des Rois', they concur with Waitrose in picking Bagatelle as the best in show.

Waitrose in An Epiphany Treat from France tells us that Bagatelle will bake no less than a Couple Thousands galettes for the celebration which now stretches from post Christmas until well into January.

The best homage to La Galette des Rois that I found Comes from Cristina of From Buenos Aires to Paris, a teacher turned pastry chef in the city of lights.

Don't you feel like taking a bite a her creation (pictured above)