Gingersnaps, pfeffernüße, paprenjak, nut rolls, honey buns your favorite holiday cookie is most likely quite appropriate for Saturnalia. The common holiday custom of hiding coins or other small objects in cakes is one. What do Saturnalia people eat Candied fruit, jams, and tarts would all be appropriate, as would sweetened nuts and seeds but the real star of the show should be cookies and cakes. Slaves wore their master’s clothing, party guests chose a Lord of Misrule and everyone put aside their formal togas for lighter garments. Many of the customs associated with Saturnalia reversed ordinary social. During the weeklong celebration, business, schools and courts were closed. There is mention by Lucian of the feasting of slaves and the clapping of frenzied hands, along with some nude singing. During the winter celebration, the person whose slice contained the bean would be crowned king for a day. And there ain’t no party like a Saturnalia party, because a Saturnalia party don’t stop. In Roman times, ancient bakers slid a dried fava bean into their Saturnalia cake. It was “the best of days,” according to Catullus - everyone’s favorite holiday.
Let’s just call it a necessary bit of excess and evil before the solemn days of Lent.Īccording to a podcast of Stuff You Missed In History Class, “Saturnalia was a Roman festival honoring Saturn, the god of sowing. And if you know a bit about this pagan festival, the connection to our modern day Mardi Gras becomes a little more clear. But as it turns out France borrowed this tradition from the Saturnalia festival of the Roman Empire, where a bean represented a fruitful harvest and a healthy year ahead. It likely included Roman favorites like fruit, nuts and honey. The cake, itself, is designed to represent the crown of the three kings, who came upon the baby Jesus of the Bible. So you can imagine how amazed I was to learn there has never been a coffee table book dedicated to king cakes The Big Book of King Cake changes that with. What the Saturnalia cake exactly looked like is lost to time, but we know it was circular and baked golden, meant to resemble the sun. It’s true, the King Cake we serve in the states is a descendant of the French gateau des rois from France, served there to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany. All may not be so sweet with the history of this bejeweled pastry. With more flour and a stiffer mixture, you can form the dough into several round flat cakes and cook them faster (10-20 minutes) on an oiled, bay leaf-lined cookie tray.
You can vary the texture with more flour or more honey. But don’t let the innocent, plastic baby fool you. The cake will rise slightly and cook to a golden brown and a bread-pudding texture. It’s King Cake season, so naturally Broad Street is serving up their version of the bejeweled brioche classic.
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