Bolo Rei is a festive cake in the shape of a crown, which is part of the Portuguese tradition, and is typically eaten during the Christmas season and on Twelfth Night. Its name alludes to the three wise men.

It is round in shape, with a large hole in the center, and is made from a fluffy white dough enriched with eggs and often liqueurs or wines, mixed with raisins, dried fruits and candied fruits.

In the past, inside the cake, there would also be a dried bean and a small toast, usually made of metal. Whoever found a bean in the slice they ate would have the duty to pay for the next king cake, on the other hand, if the toast came up, the person who found it would be given "good luck". It is said that there were also those who placed small riddles on the cakes, the reward for which would be half a pound of gold, or even the gold coins themselves, as a way of giving a gift to the person offering the cake.

History

The origin of king cake dates back to the time of the Roman Saturnalia celebrations. They had the habit of electing the "king of the party" during the celebratory banquets, which was done by placing a dried bean (symbol of fertility) in a sweet round pie, which whoever found became the king of the bean or king of the party. The Catholic Church took advantage of the fact that that pagan game was characteristic of the month of December and decided to reconvert it and relate it to the nativity and an epiphany (the first of which became known as Kings Day), that is, with the days December 25th and January 6th. The influence of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages determined that this last date was symbolized by a bean inserted into a cake, but whose recipe is currently unknown.

The king cake in its current format appeared in the court of Louis XIV, in France, for the New Year and Three Kings Day celebrations. Several writers of the time wrote about this delicacy, even Jean Baptiste Greuze celebrated it in a famous painting called Gâteau des rois.

With the French revolution, in 1789 king cake was banned, however the pastry chefs, who did not want to lose their business, instead of eliminating it decided to continue making it, changing its name during the revolutionary period to Gâteau des Sans. -culottes .

According to this French tradition, a dried bean and a porcelain gift were included in the cake, usually a nativity figure from the nativity scene. Whoever got the bean was considered the king or queen of the party, with the right to wear a crown of circumstance and could make a wish, but also had to pay for the next cake. From 1870 onwards, dried beans were progressively replaced by porcelain beans and later by cats and other objects considered "good luck", including more recently some made of plastic.

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