Same gilding, fleshy curve, and yet none are alike: in Apt, in Provence, the baker Laurent Chaisse judges the galettes and cakes of kings on “the visual, the taste and the texture” on the occasion of a gastronomic competition of Epiphany.
This year, because of the health restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, the public is not part of the party, but the large village hall in the small town of Vaucluse is not lacking in life: around ten people s ‘activate between the three long tables serving as displays for the queen pastries for the month of January.
Winner of the prize for the best cake of kings a year earlier, Frédéric Portigliatti places each dessert on a scale, ensuring that they correspond to the specifications of the competition.
An unfortunate cake has already been eliminated, so as not to weigh between 340 and 450 g. Its stuffing and its set of candied fruits, its crown-like airs, were not enough to keep it in the running.
After the weigh-in, the jury, made up of a professional and an amateur with expert taste buds, tastes the achievements of the 25 artisans and 13 apprentices competing in the 13th edition of the Epiphanie du Vaucluse, organized by the Group of artisan bakers and pastry chefs.
In France, two large schools compete, depending on the region: the puff pastry pancake, filled or not with frangipane, and the Provencal kings cake, brioche topped with candied fruit.
In Apt, even if the competition rewards both categories, preference is given to brioche because in Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur, “we follow tradition”, certifies Laurent Chaisse, one of the organizers.
He specifies that “a good brioche is airy. It must have risen well and therefore its day is not too apparent. If the candied fruits have macerated in alcohol, it’s another world”.
Frédéric Portigliatti also confirms the importance of the garnish often made with “melon or orange peels”.
This year, the artisans have innovated “with angelica (a perennial plant), very local. Pineapple and kiwi (candied) are also trends at the moment”, slips Sylvain Girardeau, sales representative of Apt union, company specialist in candied fruits, which produces 10,000 tons per year.
– “Lien social” –
Christian feast which falls on the first Sunday in January, the Epiphany or feast of the Kings, celebrates the visit of the Three Wise Men to the baby Jesus. That day, we share the cake inside which hides a bean or a ceramic figurine. The lucky one who finds it becomes “king” or “queen”.
“We do not just eat a cake”, explains Jean-Pierre Poulain, sociologist of food at the CNRS, regarding the still lively craze for this ancient pastry.
“It is a tradition which forms a ritual and creates social bond. Whoever is king must make a counter-donation, which leads to another sharing. We also speak of insertion within a group, with the innocent hand, that of the youngest, who distributes the shares, “he adds.
Reasons why the consumption of kings cakes in Vaucluse does not seem to have fallen, despite the 30% increase in the price of butter, between September and December 2021, according to the National Interprofessional Center for the Dairy Economy (Cniel).
For some professionals, the season represents “30% of their turnover in the month of January alone”, specifies Thierry Despeisse, president of the Professional group of artisan bakers in Vaucluse.
Winning a competition is a boost. The winner of the 2021 edition, Frédéric Portigliatti, thus won customers from “Bouches-du-Rhône, but also from Japan”.
This year, in the “cake of the kings” category, pastry chef Denis Petit and his apprentice Mathis Vincent, from Coustellet, in the Luberon, won first prize.
