In the United States, King’s Cake is eaten during the Mardi Gras celebration before Lent in New Orleans.
Vasilopita, Greek for sweet basil bread or Saint Basil’s bread, is a sweet bread or cake with a coin baked inside that is traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day in Greece, the Balkans, and other areas of Eastern Europe. Regional and family tradition dictates the type of dough used to make the bread, which is cut in a ritual that aims to bring luck and blessings in the new year. In some regions, it is a loaf of bread, while in others it is a spicy puff pastry. The king cake tradition associated with celebrations leading up to Lent or Epiphany is similar.
The typical vasilopita is made with butter, sugar and eggs. Flour, baking soda, and milk are also needed. Orange and lemon zest, as well as tart cherry pits, blanched almonds and sesame seeds give the bread a sweet and fruity flavor. Any coin can be used and is usually wrapped in gold or silver foil.
The type of dough or cake batter used to make the gizzards varies by region, but is generally tsoureki, or gizzards formed from braided strands. The sweetness of the dough symbolizes the joy of eternal life. The baker wraps a coin in aluminum foil, makes the sign of the cross over the dough, and places the prize in the unbaked container without looking. The bread is then baked and cooled before being sliced.
Sweet bread is traditionally cut on New Year’s Day by the oldest member of the family and distributed to all present. Bread slices can be cut and reserved for Jesus Christ, Saint Basil, or the Greek Orthodox Church. It is believed that the person who finds the coin in their own piece will be blessed for the following year.
In Greece, the Vasilopita tradition is associated with Saint Basil, and January 1 is Saint Basil’s day. According to legend, a heavy tax was imposed on the people of Caesarea in the 4th century. Saint Basil confronted the Emperor, who canceled the tax.
Although the tax was cancelled, Saint Basil had to decide how to return all the coins and jewels that had been paid to their rightful owners. He asked that the entire recipe be made into a giant pita which he cut up and distributed to people. Miraculously, each person received his valuables back in the piece of vasilopite he received. The sweet bread tradition is observed in memory of Saint Basil’s actions.
Similar to vasilopita, it is the bolo rei tradition celebrated during the Christmas season in parts of Western Europe and Latin America. In the United States, King’s Cake is eaten during the Mardi Gras celebration before Lent in Louisiana and New Orleans. A king cake is made with a small trinket inside, usually a plastic baby, and the person who finds it in their room earns rewards and obligations, including having to buy the king cake next year.