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Why Do We Eat King Cake?
King Cake arrived in Louisiana with the French settlers and the tradition, although somewhat altered from that of the Europeans, has never left. In Europe, Twelfth Night customs included a cake that was used to choose a mock king for the evening's festivities. Baked inside the cake was a coin or a bean, the lucky man who found the coin or bean inside his slice was crowned king for the evening. Finding the coin or bean became a symbol of good luck. As with most things in the Crescent City, New Orleanians infused this tradition with their own creativity, making King Cake a distinct, prized Mardi Gras symbol.
The Twelfth Night Revelers, one of New Orleans oldest, most elite organizations, hosts a masked ball on January 6th to kick-off the carnival season. Since 1870, a giant king cake has been the main attraction at the ball and is used to choose the queen of the ball, rather than the king. At the ball, a giant wooden replica of a king cake is wheeled out onto the floor, the ladies of the court each pull open one of the little drawers in the bottom layer of the cake to reveal a bean. Silver, you are in the court. Gold, you are the queen.