The Golden Bean That Made a Child King

While the Galette des Rois (King's Cake) is famous across France for Epiphany in January, historical records show that the French royal court under King Louis XIV celebrated a mini-version on Christmas Day. A small gold coin was baked into a large plum pudding. Whichever royal child found the coin in their slice was crowned the "Christmas King" for the night, allowing them to order the adult dukes and princes to perform funny dances or sing songs.