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.

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 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.

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, ...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.