The well-known roscón de Reyes is a brioche pastry made from eggs, sugar, milk, butter and flour, in the shape of a ring, sometimes typically filled with cream or marzipan and with candied fruit on top. It seems that this dessert comes from France, where it is known as Gateau des Rois or Galette de Rois.
According to the consensus theory, from there it would have spread to the entire European continent, also through Spain, with singularities such as those adopted in Cataloniawhere it is called Tortell de Reis or commonly tortell.
In this community, the tortell has a special relevance in the culinary traditionwith very stable sales of around one million of these cakes every January 6.
As explained by the author Marta Manzanares, from the University of Cambridge, in her Calendar pastisser català, originally this dessert was not stuffed. However, the most common today is to find it filled with marzipan, whipped cream, pastry cream, truffle, jam, etc.
Also, the angel hair filling is very typical and even the recipe for adobat tortell with anise, like the classic recipes mentioned by the gourmet Josep Lladonosa in his header manual Catalan cuisine. 800 daily and always receipts.
On the other hand, the three candied fruits that typically carry the roscón in Catalonia are melon, cherry and orange, which give this iconic color to the set. Likewise, it can also carry pine nuts and be covered in pearl sugar.
In the case of Catalonia, this sweet It has a very special rootwith a greater resemblance to Gateau des Rois Provencal than the typical French Gâteau.
This is so because both the tortell and the gateau Provençal take the form of a roscón, with brioche dough, flavored with orange blossom and decorated with candied fruit. According to Manzanares, they are “much closer”, probably due to their territorial proximity.
The bean and the king
As also happens in other areas where people eat, in the elaboration of the tortell in Catalonia it is tradition to put a porcelain figurine (usually of one of the wise men) and a dry bean inside the bagel. Both are wrapped in a film so that their bite does not go unnoticed in the mouth of whoever finds them.
Tradition also states that the person who finds the figurine is named king of the party and is crowned with the cardboard crown that includes the roscón in its packaging. On the other hand, the person who finds the bean has to pay for the roscón.
According to the expert, in the past in France, during Three Kings Day, the youngest child in the house distributed the cake among his familyand whoever found the bean was placed a cardboard crown and was proclaimed king.
This tradition is documented since classical times, when the Romans named, with the same system, someone in honor of Saturn as king of the festivalsand they ate a cake similar to the current roscón (round in honor of cyclical years) made with a paste of figs, honey and dates.
About this, there is a French legend that locates the origin of the Gateau des Rois in the eleventh century, when there was the custom of hide a coin inside a bagela practice that over time led to cookie and the surprise, in a gold coin in the rich houses and a bean in the poor.
a recent tradition
In the Catalan case, its implementation is quite recent, with Evidence from the early 20th centurywhere an article in the press mentioned the expansion of this tradition in a few years in Barcelona.
Also, the tortell kept until the 1930s the name of Gateau des Roisand his popularity grew until he ousted the hitherto famous Roscón of January 17 of Sant Antoni, increasingly reviled.
According to the ethnologist and folklorist Joan Amades, in the past it was a kind of marzipan sweet without filling, until it became a roscón. Besides, three dry beans were put insideso that the first to find it was the king, the second the prince and the third, a courtier.
Where to try the best
Although Catalan pastry shops are flooded with these cakes during this week, there are some references in the field that should not be missed.
Pastisseria Joan
With a store in Papiol and in Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Pastisseria Joan has been the winner of the El Millor Tortell de Reis de Catalunya contest. The pastry chef Albert Sánchez’s sweet has won the third edition of this competition.
C. Estelí, 13, Local 5, Sant Feliu de Llobregat. T. 932 657 125
La Cantonada Forn Pastisseria
With the second prize in the contest for the best tortell in Catalonia this 2022, the La Cantonada tortell is a surprise for the senses, thanks to its commitment to tradition and avant-garde.
C. Dos de Maig, 314. Barcelona. T. 934 356 287
Pastisseria Larrossa
Pastisseria Larrosa is a pastry shop in Flix, in Tarragona, famous for its sweets, especially Christmas ones. Their tortell It is famous throughout Catalonia. This year, he was a finalist in the El Millor Tortell de Reis de Catalunya contest.
P. del Mercat, 6, 43750 Flix, Tarragona. T. 606 58 72 90
casamoner
Casamoner is a pastry shop in Girona, sold at various points, known for its breads and sweets. Their tortell It has also been a finalist this year for the 2022 best proposal contest.
C. Barcelona, 215. Girona. T.972 486 387
Pastisseria Mauri
This pastry shop is a benchmark for sweets in Barcelona. Francesc Mauri, moved by his passion for sweets, founded this shop in 1929, and since then it has expanded its horizons to new sections such as the savory pastry, the tea room and the chocolate shop, among others. An outstanding proposal in the city are its tortells classics for the most traditional.
C.de Provença, 241. Barcelona. T. 932 151 020
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Photos | Muysibarita, Jacqueline Macou/Pixabay, and Rosa and Dani/Flickr
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