|
in france the closest tradition i can think of (although it's not really a christmas tradition) is the galette des rois (king's cake) which is a flaky butter pastry filled with frangipane (sweet almond paste, like marzipan). hidden somewhere in the filling is a "fève" : fève means bean, but now they are little plastic or ceramic figurines. some people collect them. this cake is eaten with cider around the epiphany, the 6th of january, but you can get them starting weeks in advance.
the tradition is for a child to hide under the table while the cake is being cut, and he distributes the cake by calling out the names of the people there as the slices are distributed. the cakes are always sold with a paper crown ; whoever gets the fève in their piece gets to wear the crown and is the king of the day.
galettes are available from the bakery in different sizes depending on how many will be eating it, so there is no danger of the fève being lost in a leftover piece.
|