And just when you thought you could never eat again after the holidays, you realize that the festivities aren’t quite over yet. Years ago, we used to indulge in lavish feasts for Christmas and New Year’s Eve. These meals were truly extravagant, featuring multiple appetizers, two starters, a main course, salad, cheese, and two desserts. Looking back, it’s hard to believe we managed to eat so much in a single evening (the 24th), only to sit down for another meal the following day.
In recent years, our holiday feasts have become more reasonable—better suited to the limits of the human stomach. Still, we tend to forget that two more food-centric events are just around the corner. The first is in January, with the traditional Galette des Rois to celebrate Epiphany, and the second is la Chandeleur (usually at the beginning of February), when French families gather to make crêpes for everyone in the household.
La Galette des Rois is a delicious French tradition
What I love about the Galette des Rois is that it can be enjoyed throughout the entire month of January, allowing you to indulge in as many galettes as your heart desires. Plus, there’s a wide variety of flavors to choose from. As soon as New Year’s Eve ends and the famous bûches de Noël (yule logs) disappear from bakery displays, they are swiftly replaced by these wonderful, crispy galettes.
Purists insist that the traditional galette is made with frangipane, a luscious almond paste, but nowadays there’s a delightful diversity of flavors to suit every taste. You can find galettes filled with apple compote, chocolate, or chestnut cream at your local boulanger or pâtissier. In Provence, you might even come across the Brioche des Rois, a large, brioche-like pastry adorned with candied fruits.
The most exciting part of the Galette des Rois? The little surprise hidden inside: a tiny charm called a fève.
The most exciting part of the galette des rois is the special surprise baked inside: a tiny charm called a « fève ».
For a nice experience, enjoy the Galette des Rois with a good bottle of Breton cider or Champagne.
At home, we eat at least one Galette per week during January, and it has become a tradition for the whole family to gather in the countryside and for our mom to cut the galette into as many slices as there are people. We then ask the youngest member in the family to sit under the table and hide, so they cannot see how the galette is being divided and where the « fève ». They then decide who gets each slice. The lucky person who finds the « fève » is crowned Queen or King for the day (and they have to wear a special paper crown). We take this ritual very seriously—no cheating allowed!
Celebrating the Galette des Rois is always a wonderful excuse in France to spend time with family, friends, and even colleagues. Since many of our friends were away during the Christmas holidays, we enjoy gathering over a galette to catch up on the festivities and discuss plans for the year ahead. And of course, it’s always a good idea to bring along a bottle of Breton cider or Champagne!
This weekend, we’re hosting our next Galette des Rois celebration with our neighbors. I can’t wait to attend, as I know we will have a delightful time! Who wouldn’t enjoy that? After all, January can feel a bit dull, and the Galette des Rois is the perfect excuse to have some fun after Christmas and momentarily forget the cold, short days of winter.
I usually buy the Galette des Rois from my local pastry shop, but when I really want to indulge, I go to La Maison du Chocolat. In my opinion, the most beautiful one is from Yann Couvreur and is shaped like a hazelnut. Their paper crowns are absolutely stunning too. I also love pairing it with cider instead of Champagne, and I highly recommend the one from Kystin (the buckwheat flavor is my favorite) – an organic French (Breton) brand that produces delicious and elegant cider.
