The origin of the Three Kings' Day bread

Sharing the Three Kings' Day bread is a family tradition that cannot fail in the home every January 6th, but where did it begin? The history of the bread is extremely ancient and has undergone several changes through the years to become what we know today. Today we tell you about its evolution and share some interesting facts that you may not have known about the Three Kings' Day bread. During the time of the Roman Empire, there was a festival celebrated during the winter solstice called Saturnalia. In this event, the God Saturn (Zeus) was honored with the tasting of a bread decorated with figs and dates, which also contained a fava bean inside as a good luck charm. When Christianity arrived around the year 354 A.D., some Roman traditions like the bread with fig and date were adopted, but now it was used for a Western celebration called the Adoration of the Magi. In this way, the Christian tradition and a Roman custom mixed to create not only a new festivity but also a new gastronomic icon of the winter season. The tradition of the bread became established during the Middle Ages in countries like France and Spain, where the preparation has changed significantly over the centuries. The bread arrived in Mexico in the 16th century and quickly replaced the hidden fava bean with small porcelain dolls representing the baby Jesus. Over the years, the dolls became plastic, and the celebration was fixed as we know it today. That is the history, but also, did you know? In the United States, it is called King's Cake and is part of the Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans. In Portugal, it is called Bolo Rei, similar to what we know, although smaller. In Greece, they enjoy vasilopita, a type of donut that is much less elaborate than the bread we eat. In Catalonia, it is known as tortell.   Now, we can't leave you with all this information without giving you our best recipes for Three Kings' Day: Mexican Three Kings' Day Bread Hot Chocolate Almond Atole