Young and old eagerly await the arrival of the Three Kings. Writing the letter, going to the Parade, and waking up to presents under the tree… And on the table, the roscón de Reyes cannot be missing. In Catalonia, the Barcelona Pastry Guild predicts that sales of artisan roscones de Reyes will exceed one million units, matching last year's figures.
These days, bakeries work against the clock to prepare these sweets, which involve between six and eight hours of work. The roscón, moreover, cannot be baked until a few hours before eating it. "We start baking them on the 5th at ten at night, to be able to deliver them freshly baked," assures Carles Boix, pastry chef at La Palma de Sabadell. One more year, the marzipan and fruit roscón will be the favorite of Catalans, but the cream-filled one will be very close behind. The price of the roscones will range between 20 and 50 euros.
The Barcelona Pastry Guild vindicates the value of quality artisan product: sourdough, flour, fresh eggs, butter, and candied fruit. For example, fruit is one of the differentiating elements between artisan and industrial sweets, "if it is of quality and artisanally made, the fruit integrates into the roscón, it remains tender and with its juice; in industrial cakes, on the other hand, fruit is often not used but pumpkin, because it is cheaper," they assure from the guild.
The origin of the roscón de Reyes dates back to Roman times, as during winter festivities, some cakes with figs, dates, and honey were served. In the 3rd century, the bean was introduced, which at this time was understood as a symbol of prosperity and fertility. But it was not until 17th century France that the tradition of hiding the bean or the king began, when a cook from Louis XV's court wanted to surprise him by adding a gold coin to this traditional sweet. Over time, the gold coin would become the traditional figure of the king.
However, in Catalonia, the tradition of eating roscón is quite recent and was not implemented until the 20th century and, little by little, its popularity has increased until it became an essential element of Three Kings' Day.