a gold coin slips into a galette des rois
A real gold coin worth 340 euros slipped into one of the galettes de rois from the La Bonbonnière pastry shop in Toulouse. Customers have until February 15 to try to find it.
Watch out for the teeth. Once the end of year celebrations are over, it’s time for the galette des rois. And in Toulouse, tasting this cake can take a completely different turn. Indeed, the company specializing in jewelry expertise Gold counter associates with pastry the candy box to organize a real treasure hunt. The partners slipped, in one of the cakes sold by the sign of the rue des Tourneurs, a twenty-franc gold coin on which is stamped the profile of the Emperor Napoleon.
An unusual bean, since its value rises at 340 euro. “Created on March 28, 1803 by the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, this piece bears several effigies, and has the same value as the Louis d’Or which bears that of Louis XIV. The Napoleon d’Or coin remained in use until the First World War,” the company explains. Customers have until next February 15 to try to find.
Back to traditions
The presence of a gold coin in this traditional Epiphany cake may seem surprising these days. Most beans being, since the end of the 19th century, small statuettes representing characters porcelain. However, the shape of these beans deposited in the cakes has evolved over the course of history. In Antiquity, a real bean-shaped bean, considered a symbol of life and fertility, was used to elect the king of the day. Then, a gold or silver coin delayed it in the wealthiest families. It is this tradition that the Comptoir de l’Or now wishes to bring up to date.
An approach to support bakers
Following the end of year celebrations, the period of the galette des rois is a friendly time for families, but also a highlight of the year for bakers. “In the continuity of our constant involvement in the local economic fabric of the cities in which we are deployed, it is only natural that we decided to launch this operation. It is also an opportunity for us to democratize yellow metalto show pedagogy around its accessibility” concludes Laurent Schwarz, president and director of the Comptoir National de l’Or.