Nollaig na mBan

Today is the christian feast of the epiphany, believed to be the day 3 kings (wise men) visited the infant Jesus.  In rural Ireland the day is known as  Nollaig na mBan (a day when women traditionally took a rest from housework). 

My mother, bless her soul, was the daughter of English hating, Irish immigrants who arrived in America at the end of WWI.  Though born in America, her childhood was filled Irish legends and stories of classic Irish writers ringing in her ears, many of which she passed to her sons. 

James Joyce was too anti-catholic for inclusion in her childhood canon but in later years mom came around to The Dubliners, Joyce's short story collection. She said it was the only Joyce she understood. 

The Dubliners, several of the stories taking place on January 6, revolve around the alternative meaning of epiphany, that ah ha moment when you see things in a new way, discover what's been lost, or what you never had. The Dubliners final story, The Dead, may be one of the greatest short stories ever written.





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king cake

King Cake

Not yet ready to pull the plug on the holidays, then try baking a King Cake.

The practice of baking King Cakes during the holiday season is ancient. Romans baked a version for Saturnalia, held around the winter solstice. Later, the cake tradition was Christianized and baked for 12th night, the feast of the Epiphany when it is said the 3 kings visited the infant Jesus. In the US, the purple green and yellow sugared version is more often seen during Mardi Gras feasts.

Mardi Gras King Cake

The King Cake is a party cake and while each country in Europe has it's own variation and tradition on a familar theme, my favorite has a fruitcake or brioche base. As you bake each cake, a small porcelain toy (feve) is inserted in the dough. Whoever gets the slice of the cake with the toy is the King or Queen with all the rights, duties, obligations and appearances due a monarch.

If you're game try this recipe. I think you'll like it. Every bakery in Western Europe offers a commercial variety but the nanny state EU no longer allows commercial bakers to include the feve. Naturally, porcelain feves have become very collectible.

Les Feves

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