Ferdinand & Syrilla Glapion Family

​​Mardi Gras King Cake

As part of our Christian faith, the coming of the wise men

bearing gifts to the Christ Child is celebrated twelve days

after Christmas. We refer to this as the Feast of the Epiphany

or Little Christmas on the Twelfth Night. This is a time of

celebration, exchanging gifts and feasting. Today, the tradition

continues as people all over the world gather for festive

Twelfth Night celebrations. A popular custom was and still is

the baking of a special cake in honor of the three kings called "A King's Cake."
 
Inside every cake is a tiny baby (generally plastic now, but sometimes this baby might be made of porcelain or even gold). The tradition of having King Cake Parties has evolved through time, and the person who receives the slice of cake with the baby is asked to continue the festivities by hosting the next King Cake party.

Originally, King Cakes were a simple ring of dough with a small amount of decoration. Today's King Cakes are much more festive. After the rich Danish dough is braided and baked, the "baby" is inserted. The top of the ring or oval cake is then covered with delicious sugar toppings in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold.

In more recent years, some bakeries have been creative with stuffing and topping their cakes with different flavors of cream cheese and fruit fillings.

January 6, the Twelfth Night after Christmas, is also the day our Mardi Gras season begins. Mardi Gras Day is always 47 days prior to Easter Sunday (Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday).

So, in Louisiana especially, Mardi Gras season and King Cakes go hand in hand with literally hundreds of thousands of King Cakes consumed at parties and office lunch rooms every year.

Ordering King Cakes over the internet has now become an annual tradition by consumers all around the world - and many of our bakers offer them year round. After all, you can't have a Mardi Gras party without a King Cake!

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​Cafe du Monde
 
The original Cafe du Monde coffee stand was established in

the New  Orleans French Market in 1862 and still operates today.

The cafe is considered a New Orleans landmark that’s open

24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In fact, it is traditional to go there

for dark roasted coffee with chicory and beignets when visiting the city.

At Café du Monde, there is only one food item you can order - beignets.

The store is called a coffee stand, but it’s very large, with dozens of tables

outside under the trademark green-and-white striped canopy, and more inside. On every table are plates of rapidly disappearing beignets. Café du Monde serves beignets in orders of three, and since that’s the only food item on the menu, you don't have to say what it is you’re ordering. You simply say, “I’ll have an order and a café au lait.” Expect a wait in line if you arrive during peak hours (even longer if you want a table).

 

Let's see who can identify these image​s: