AUP Students Get 'Under the Table' for Galettes
After you've stuffed yourself with foie gras and oysters over Christmas, why not cap your overindulgence the French way - with Galette des Rois (or "King's Cake" in English )? This French pastry, typically made of two thin sheets of pastry dough filled with almond paste, is as delicious as it sounds. And although it might seem like a simple cake, according to Bruno Messan, baker of a small boulangerie in Boulogne Billancourt, the process is "extremely lengthy and [good] timing is necessary."
At the beginning of each year (usually the 6th of January), boulangeries across the country compete in baking the best Galette. Many re-inventions of the traditional recipe surface and some are more notable than others. For 2016, the influential website Vanity Fair shed some light on Angelina's signature chocolate and chestnut King's Cake.
Why is this pasty so important?
The King's Cake isn't just a cake. This French "patisserie" is tied to a older tradition celebrated in almost every household in France. When families or friends get together and share a "Galette", it is customary for the youngest in the room to go under the table and determine who gets a slice, while another person distributes them. Why are slices given at random? Well because in every Galette, there's a little figurine usually made of porcelain (la feve) hidden in one of the slices. Whoever finds the feve is crowned King or Queen for the night.
With a few weeks delay, (28th of January) the American University of Paris hosted an event in order for incoming students to experience this French tradition. Organized by two student advisors along with Student Leadership Program Assistant Joelle Grewolb, the event gathered a fair amount of students around cider, apple juice and obviously some cake. For some curious AUP students, it was their first time experiencing this French tradition, but for others it was a chance to eat some more. "I wonder why we do not eat them all year long" says a French student attending the event. Despite the fact that no students were under the table, many got the chance to taste for the first time the original French almond delicatessen.
Galette des Rois event, American University of Paris ( Tuesday 28 January 2016 )
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Photo credits: Amanuel Neguede
And if you're up to challenge here's a video from Alex the French guy teaching how to bake a King's Cup. Bonne Appetit!
