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Kirby’s king cake


Airehead

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From Uncle Google and Cousin Wiki...

Traditionally, a small plastic or porcelain baby[24] is hidden in the king cake. Originally, the baby was placed in the cake to symbolize baby Jesus. Fava beans were also used to represent Jesus.

Today, the baby symbolizes luck and prosperity to whoever finds it in their slice of cake. That person is also responsible for purchasing next year's cake,[25] or for throwing the next Mardi Gras party. In some traditions, the finder of the baby is designated "king" or "queen" for the evening. This is very popular among kids.

As beans and porcelain figures became replaced with plastic babies, many bakers have recently been placing the baby outside of the cake, and leaving the hiding to the customer. This is also because there is a potential of customers choking on or swallowing the baby, and bakers want to stay clear of this liability.

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12 minutes ago, Kzoo said:

From Uncle Google and Cousin Wiki...

Traditionally, a small plastic or porcelain baby[24] is hidden in the king cake. Originally, the baby was placed in the cake to symbolize baby Jesus. Fava beans were also used to represent Jesus.

Today, the baby symbolizes luck and prosperity to whoever finds it in their slice of cake. That person is also responsible for purchasing next year's cake,[25] or for throwing the next Mardi Gras party. In some traditions, the finder of the baby is designated "king" or "queen" for the evening. This is very popular among kids.

As beans and porcelain figures became replaced with plastic babies, many bakers have recently been placing the baby outside of the cake, and leaving the hiding to the customer. This is also because there is a potential of customers choking on or swallowing the baby, and bakers want to stay clear of this liability.

So it is a baby Jeff Gordon?  Awesome.  Sort of explains the paint job on the cake too!

Image result for jeff gordon rainbow warrior

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3 minutes ago, Mr. Silly said:

How does Jesus feel about being replaced with fava beans?

 

1 minute ago, Airehead said:

I also thought that was odd 

Actually, you should ask how the fava bean feels about being replaced by Jesus.

It would seem to be a safe assumption that the King’s Cake has its roots in Christianity; however, some trace it back further to an ancient pagan Roman festival. Held throughout the Roman empire, Saturnalia was a winter solstice celebration honoring Saturn, the god of agriculture. In ancient times, fava beans were believed to be magical and also used for voting. Cakes were made to celebrate the harvest and, according to Larousse Gastronomique, “During the Saturnalia the “king of the day” was chosen by lot, using a bean concealed in a galette. It was only in the Middle Ages that this cake ceremony began to be associated with the festival of Epiphany.”

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49 minutes ago, Dirtyhip said:

About the choking worry, do people not chew their food?  I would notice pretty quickly if I put a piece of plastic in my mouth.

I was going to say toy, but figured that would head down a bad road.

You'd have to come up with a better source than the Wiki one in Kzoo's quote for arguing that folks are worried about choking hazards and getting sued. 

Here is the reference (itself with no reference/source):

In order to avoid liability, most bakeries sell the cake with the baby on the side, leaving the actual hiding to the purchaser. Fear of choking on a plastic child doesn't stop people in the Big Easy from chowing down on more than 750,000 King Cakes a year, according to the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau, and many Louisiana bakeries now ship their royal confections across the country, making it unlikely that the sun will soon set on this cake's kingdom.

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33 minutes ago, jsharr said:

 

Actually, you should ask how the fava bean feels about being replaced by Jesus.

It would seem to be a safe assumption that the King’s Cake has its roots in Christianity; however, some trace it back further to an ancient pagan Roman festival. Held throughout the Roman empire, Saturnalia was a winter solstice celebration honoring Saturn, the god of agriculture. In ancient times, fava beans were believed to be magical and also used for voting. Cakes were made to celebrate the harvest and, according to Larousse Gastronomique, “During the Saturnalia the “king of the day” was chosen by lot, using a bean concealed in a galette. It was only in the Middle Ages that this cake ceremony began to be associated with the festival of Epiphany.”

 

Weren't fava beans what Jack traded the cow for?  I'm sure the book said fava beans.

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