It’s that time of year again ya’ll! Mardi Gras Season.and when I say Mardi Gras..I really mean time for some King Cake! We all know its delicious and colorful but where did it even originate from?
History of King Cake
When starting off the new year, there’s more to it than just resolutions being made. January 6th marks the beginning of Mardi Gras season and all of its glorious traditions. This day is also known as “Epiphany,” “Twelfth Night,” or “Kings Day” and this season ends just a day before Lent on Fat Tuesday. In honor of this day, one of the most notable traditions is the King Cake which is a popular delicacy made to celebrate the the gift-bearing of the three wise men who brought gifts to baby Jesus in Bethlehem. The King Cake is typically associated with predominantly Catholics and Christians, but is enjoyed by people of all religions.
The tradition of the King Cake was brought to New Orleans from France in 1870 and now countless numbers of this dessert are being consumed during the Mardi Gras season. These cakes in honor of the three kings who delivered gifts and are in the shape of an oval to symbolize the unity in faith. They’re a sweet cinnamon filled dough topped with a mouthwatering glaze sprinkled with a generous amount of colored sugar. The colors that are appear on this cake reflects the Mardi Gras colors of purple representing Justice, green representing faith, and gold representing power. There’s a wide assortment of fillings that people choose to use, but hidden inside each King Cake is also a small plastic baby representing the baby Jesus.
When celebrating this day, each person is served a slice of King Cake and checks to see if their piece contains the “baby.” Whichever person has that baby is claimed to be “King” for a day and is required to host the next Mardi Gras celebration party providing a King Cake. Year after year, this tradition gets increasingly popular with more exposure making it the new norm as it becomes a universal tradition overtime. It’s a sweet treat to start the year off and gathers everyone together for yet another holiday.
King Cakes can be found just about everywhere these days, but below are a few of our favorite places to purchase one for this season…..
604 West Alabama Houston, Texas 77006, (713) 520-1484
2. The Boil House ( selling the popular Gambino’s King Cake from Louisiana)
606 E 11th St Houston, TX 77008, 713-904-0241
3. Three Brothers Bakery (Offered at multiple Locations)
4036 S. Braeswood Blvd Houston TX 77025, (713) 666-2253
12393 Kingsride Ln Houston TX 77024, (713) 464-2253
4606 Washington Ave Houston TX 77007, (713) 522-2253
10300 Louetta Rd #114, Houston, TX 77070, (832) 717-3530
5. Local Grocery Stores such as H-E-B and Kroger
Feature image courtesy of goldmedalflour.com