Saturday 5 January 2013

Saturday Photo: Bolo Rei a Day Early

Tomorrow is Epiphany or the Kings' Day, when the Magi supposedly showed up with presents for the baby Jesus.  We've never celebrated it, although many of our friends do a little something, involving a cake with a coin or a bean inside.

The person who gets the piece with the whatever is the "king" and is supposed to have a lucky year.  Sounds like a nice prospect and certainly this year when Jan. 6 is the last day of the extended holiday season, finding it in your dessert would be a great way to top the season off. 

This is the excellent Portuguese version of the cake.  Called Bolo Rei, it's a sweet bread with candied fruit and a bean inside.  I bought it at Padaria Coimbra (also known as the Baguette dorée) on Mount-Royal boulevard in the Bairro Português here.  Discovering the bakery was one of the better parts of the 8 months we spent in the neighborhood after our fire.

Lee and I each had a slice last night, despite the fact that Kings' Day hasn't arrived yet. Neither of us got the bean, though: perhaps Jeanne or Elin will when they're by today.

1 comment:

lagatta à montréal said...

Bela Vista on Papineau http://www.pasteldenata.ca/ would be the best bet from where I live (there used to be a Portuguese bakery closer to my place, on Castelnau at the corner of Drolet), They do a bolo rei.

I don't buy sweets unless I have company, but it is good to think of Bela Vista as they are very good, and in a rather forlon location...