The King Cake is rich in symbolism, much of which ties back to its religious and celebratory origins. Its three traditional colors—purple, green, and gold—carry significant meanings.

The King Cake Tradition, Explained. Why is there a plastic baby baked inside this Mardi Gras staple? by Dana Hatic and Hillary Dixler Canavan. Updated Jan 7, 2025, 4:04 PM UTC ...

According to Southern Living, the king cake tradition was brought from France to New Orleans in 1870. It's tradition that every king cake holds a plastic baby inside. But it wasn't always this way.

King cake is a Mardi Gras tradition in New Orleans. Locals voted for the best one NPR's Debbie Elliot speaks with Ian McNulty, a food culture writer for nola.com about Mardi Gras cakes and the ...

The custom was carried into Creole tradition. Then, in the 1800's, New Orleans' high society got a taste for king cake and, breaking with tradition, kept eating it after Twelfth Night.

A king cake is a longstanding tradition for Mardi Gras season. The ring-shaped, cinnamon-filled dessert stems from the biblical story of the three kings.

The rose queen cake from La Vie En Rose is truly a thing of beauty, one that reflects the majestic side of Mardi Gras, the effort and artistry people put into the celebration to make it extra special.

Eating king cake during Carnival season likely became a tradition in the 1980s. Getty Images/iStockphoto The colorful king cakes weren’t always a staple of Mardi Gras, but they definitely are now.

ELLIOTT: So first off, I guess we need to explain the king cake tradition. MCNULTY: Yeah, that's right. And that's important because people know about Mardi Gras, but really, ...

NPR's Debbie Elliot speaks with Ian McNulty, a food culture writer for nola.com about Mardi Gras cakes and the first Mardi Gras king cake bracket.