Friday, January 6, 2012

Fèves pour la Galette des Rois


I am ready for Epiphany and the Galette des Rois.
I do not think that I will be able to get all of my fèves into just one gallette!

I have collected fèves for years and was fortunate enough to meet a parisienne who was selling her husband's 40-year collection.  I promised to cherish them as he did. 

I will be looking for new ones next week to add to the collection.


31 comments:

Sylvia K said...

How fun! And you do have a lot of them! Wonderful! Hope you have a great weekend and find even more feves!!

Hugs
Sylvia

Amanda Summer said...

this is a really cool shot, genie - i don't know anything about this tradition of feves - can you elucidate?

wishing you many blessings for the new year~

xoxo
amanda

French Girl in Seattle said...

I am so glad you got your hands on such a loot. My collection is a lot smaller, but I ordered a super cool Harry Potter fève set online a few days ago. I could not believe my luck when I found it! Enjoy looking for more of the cute little things once in France! Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

You have 'arry Potter? Cool!

Amanda here is a link that tells about the feves in French and English:
http://french.about.com/b/2012/01/02/la-galette-des-rois.htm

It just seems appropriate that the feves live in the pink tin from Fauchon... Merci, Sylvia!

Malyss said...

I have a plenty box of them too!I'll show you when you come. Don't you celebrate Epiphanie in USA?..

Pat said...

These are gorgeous..... You must have paid a lot for them, but they are worth it. Congratulations.

orvokki said...

They look very fanny and nice, exept I don't know what they are, which are in that box. I've never seen those. First I though that they are some sweets.. :D

But I think you have got a lot of those old litlle things.

Nice photo.

Joe said...

What a treasure trove. May you find the feve that which is the most elusive.

Louise said...

What a wonderful collection! Do you make your own Galette des Rois?

Janey and Co. said...

Oh I would want to display them in some manner! Perhaps tiny shelves, or in a glass cabinet. Then no one would want to dust my house...including me. I also would like to go through that box and look at each one!

brattcat said...

wow, what a fortuitous encounter.

Sharon Creech said...

I love these - and will now go look at the link you suggest. My online translator gives 'beans' as a translation for feves. haha. I'm thinking maybe it's more like 'favors.' Small favors, remembrances. But I'll go see . . .

Unknown said...

This is so cool! All the best in 2012, Genie.

Mo said...

Wow you have been collecting them for awhile. I bet there's some real gems in there.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

Very interesting indeed Genie, I had to look up the link you gave as well, what a lovely tradition. That was quite an addition to your own collection there. 'Epiphany' is one of my favorite words, that and 'succinct'..
The French film was really good Genie, light hearted fun but with a message!! I would definitely recommend it.

Harriet said...

Conveniently small -- may you find many more while in France.

Harriet said...

And may I inquire as to the name of the film that PerthDailyPhoto is referring to?

this is Belgium said...

know no one else who collects them but think it is a fabulous idea. You make me wish I had kept them over the years. Good hunting, ! bonne chance !

Maria O. Russell said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/rosca_de_reyes

It´s the same in Latin American culture I guess!

Last night I put one pair of shoes outside my bedroom door according to our custom on the eve of "Dia de Reyes"

This morning I found a lovely fragrance on top of my shoes!

Happy New Year Mme. Genie and thank you so much for your wonderful blog.

Palomasea said...

These are so lovely dear Genie!
Enjoy your Galette...miam..:)
Bises,
- Irina

Cezar and Léia said...

Hmmmm, good idea, I think I'll start collecting too!
God bless you!
Cezar

Anonymous said...

Where will you place all of these? Are they like little statues? This man had a huge collection!

Starman said...

At least, your buying power is at a new level with the euro lower than it has been in many years.

Erika said...

Moi, je connaissais cette tradition parce que quand j'enseignais, j'avais une collègue française qui m'en avait parlé et qui m'avait donné La Galette des Rois. C'est une tradition très sympa.
Je t'embrasse.
Bon fin de semaine.
Erika

M said...

What an exquisite collection! Maybe we all need to bake a cake so that each feve can feel used and important!

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

Harriet, the movie is "The Women on the 6th Floor," and now I really want to see it.

Malyss, we do celebrate Epiphany in the US. In the time between January 6th and Mardi Gras, we eat many "King's Cakes" as they are called here.

To answer Louise's question, yes I do make my own using a French recipe from a box of puff pastry bought in Paris and Frangipane filling (almonds, butter, eggs, sugar). I am in Denver and not making it today and will be in Paris next week so I will make it once or twice before February 21st which is Mardi Gras this year.

Sharon, I may not have the whole story correct, but I believe that the original Galette des Rois had a simple "bean" inserted from which the term feve has been passed down (no accent marks on my laptop).

Maria, I love that story and it is similar to December 5th in Germany (?) when the children put out their shoes.

Bibi, I did not pay a fortune for the collection. Over the course of a few visits to her shop Holly and I had several chats with her and I had a small cadeau for her that I made. I think that she was glad that the feves that her husband had collected were "going to a good home." I sent her a photo of "the Jesus' birthday cake" and a New Year's wishes card that year. We see her on every trip to Paris.

Bises,
Genie

Virginia said...

moi aussi. I gave my fêves that you so generously shared to Melissa's kids. Now I need another set. You'll direct me I hope.
V

Parisian Heart said...

I love this! I still have the feve I found in the cake at the school where I taught in France nearly twenty years ago.

Jan said...

NO WAY !! I have been following your blog after spending the summer in France. Love you photos and comments. Well the best part of my summer was going to the "french flea markets" and going through all the feves and picking out the nativity figures. When I clicked on your site today, my breath was taking away....I am jealous!! But so excited for you !!

Rob Siemann said...

Just baking a galete, with self made frangipane, but couldn't get any feves. Will eat it anyway

Oakland Daily Photo said...

Like the bean, does the fêve go in the galette? If so, does anyone break a tooth biting into it? You can see I spend time worrying about such things. Bonne année.