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Be King or Queen for a day!


Most of the world has said farewell to the Christmas season, with countries in the east now looking forward to Chinese New Year. However, the festive period continues in Spain, where people still have one more event to celebrate. We are waiting for the three wise men of Christmas legend to arrive! As food lovers, we can't think of a better way to welcome them than with a nice Roscón de Reyes.

The Roscón de Reyes is an oval shaped pastry symbolizing a crown & is traditionally eaten on January 6, during the celebration of Día de Los Reyes Magos (the three wise men). Not only is it a delicious sweet cake, it carries a tradition that has been handed down over generations, where all the members of the family have a chance to win (or lose) with their slice of Roscón. How would you feel about being the King or Queen for the day? But be careful...you can also end up paying for next year's Roscón de Reyes! Who decides that? It is not your choice and there is no rule for it, you just need to eat!


Our Roscón is typically filled with chocolate, cream, custard or a combination! But there is more...inside each Roscón there is a little King and a little bean. The cake is sliced and distributed to each member of the family. The small figures can be in any of the slices, will you be the lucky one? If you are, you will get the crown that you can wear for the rest of the day. If you are not that lucky....you will get the bean which means you will be the one bringing the cake to next years celebration!


Where does this tradition come from? The origin can be traced back to "Las Fiestas Saturnales" or the Festival of Saturn, where the ancient Romans used to celebrate the end of the darkest period of the year and welcome the beginning of a new one, full of light. Part of the feast would involve our little Roscón cake. Years later a bean would be added to the cake signifying prosperity and a good year for whoever found it in their slice.


The tradition faded during the Medieval Age due to its Pagan links, but the Roscón came back into fashion during the Renaissance Period in France and spread to Spain. This wasn't the cake of the Romans though, as they also added gold coins to it. Now the game had switched, whoever finds the coin gets good luck and whoever finds the bean would have misfortune for the next year. It is said that the idea of adding a coin to the cake came from a French cook who was trying their best to impress the little King Louis XV.


In the modern day, we are more kind to the one who finds the bean! Instead of bad luck for the next year, they have the "Privilege" of providing the Roscón to the family for the next Día de los Reyes Magos. Everyone hopes to find the "Rey" in their slice, so that we have the chance to be a King or Queen for the day!


While the Roscón has been adapted over thousands of years, the essence of this sweet treat remains the same - to share blessings and prosperity for the new year!



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