King Cake or Bolo-Rei
Portuguese King Cake or Bolo-Rei, as the portuguese call, is the most eaten cake during Christmas time. The cake is the representation of the Three Wised Men, looks like a crown and is covered with crystallize and dry fruits and also sugar powder.
During Christmas times there are many competitions around the Portuguese King Cake like the biggest, the most tasty, the longest, etc.
This cake is original from France and was introduce in the 19th century by the Pastry shop Confeitaria Nacional located in Lisbon.
In the earlier time the Portuguese King Cake was an excitement for all the portuguese children and adults because the cake has inside a bean called Fava (broad bean) and a Surprise ( a small metal Christmas toy).
Christmas game
So the game was the followed, when you cut a piece of the cake for you, the one who get the Fava piece have to buy the Portuguese King Cake in the next year, the surprise is a present. In our days the Fava and the surprise are not inside anymore, to prevent accidents.
There is one pastry shop where they have been the winners of the best Portuguese King Cake and there is in Aveiro and is called Pastry Flor de Aveiro.
You will always find a Portuguese King Cake all over the country in the Christmas season, because there is really no Christmas dinner which doesn’t have it.
