"Life is a Banquet"
Geraldine adored books. Her book collection filled her house, and she knew each book like an old friend and visited them frequently. The Questing Feast now has books page. In it you will find all of Geraldine’s cookbooks as well as other books of interest. There are only a few books listed so far, and you are welcome to suggest more!
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by Geraldine Duncann
Today most of us have forgotten that December 25th is only the first day of Christmas. Traditionally twelve days were celebrated with the major celebration being on January 5th or 12th Night. Remember that according to the legends surrounding the birth of Christ, it took the Three Kings, or Wise Men, twelve days to arrive at the manger in Bethlehem after having seen the star, which is suppose to have signified his birth.
In Medieval times, Christmas Day was a day of church going and poise religious observation. The feasting and reveler did not begin until the following day, and continued through the remaining twelve days, culminating in the final 12th Night revels on January 5th or Epiphany Eve.
It wasn’t until the reign of England’s King Henry the VIII that Christmas Day became a day of revelry as well.
During the puritanical Commonwealth period of Oliver Cromwell, all forms of celebration other than religious observance was banned. When, after the Cromwells were ousted and people were once again able to celebrate, the major emphasis was on Christmas Day and the celebration of the other twelve days of Christmas gradually faded away in most parts of the Christian world.
Some do however still observe 12th Night and a big part of that celebration is the 12th Night or King’s Cake. This cake takes several forms. In New Orleans the “Kings Cake” is usually made from a Brioche dough baked in a ring. It is then decorated with a simple icing and purple, green and yellow sugar. The cake usually has a token baked into it. The person who gets this token in his or her piece is the “King of the Revels.” In early days the token was a bean or coin. For some reason, in Victorian times and in the early 20th century the token shifted to a small baby doll representing the Christ child.
In France, “Galette des Rois” is a puff pastry creation, usually filled with, frangipane or an almond flavored filling. The Galette des Rois is often decorated with a crown made form gold foil covered cardboard. This cake also has a token baked into it and the one who receives it gets to wear the crown.
Both in New Orleans and in France, nearly every bakery sells them. Often one has to put in their order weeks in advance to be assured of having a Kings Cake for 12th Night.
If you would like to have a Kings Cake for 12th Night you may find the following recipes useful.