As a born-and-raised New Orleanian, with familial roots tying me to the city for hundreds of years, I take our history and traditions very seriously. So, when it comes to eating king cake outside of Carnival season, it is a huge “no” for me.
But as this Carnival season came to an end, I was handed a scenario I had never experienced before: I have a king cake I bought before Mardi Gras Day ended, but I have not finished it yet. This situation left me questioning — can I eat a king cake I bought before Carnival ended after Carnival has ended?
As I believe everyone should know already, but in the chance you’re reading this and you don’t, king cake season, I mean Carnival season, starts on Jan. 6, or Twelfth Night. This night, in the Catholic faith, is the 12 days after Christmas when the three wise men came to visit the baby Jesus. For Louisiana, this starts the Carnival season as we await the time between Twelfth Night and Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent (learn more about this history here). The idea, however, behind the king cake being consumed in Carnival season goes back to this history and Twelfth Night, as centuries ago, cakes were made as part of the celebration of the day.
What has been difficult to find is any legitimate reason we’ve limited the consumption to just Carnival season. As Carnival season has always been the revelry before the deep reflection that is supposed to come along with Lent, I believe that is the original reason king cake is limited to just this timeframe. The king cake is a pastry-like, sugary cake that with modern day interpretations can be even more sweet or filled with decadent ingredients, therefore, it’s an indulgent addition to the season that doesn’t lend well to the repentance and reflection of Lent, which follows.
So, we go back to the question at hand: can you eat the king cake you still had left over from the season after it’s over?
I asked Carnival historian Errol Laborde and local food maven and Queen of the Drag Brunch Poppy Tooker their opinions on the pressing matter.
“Yes, it is OK to eat king cake during the days after IF you received it before midnight Tuesday,” said Laborde, “…or you can burn the remains and use it for Ash Wednesday/Lent ashes.”
Tooker, who was actually eating a piece of leftover cake as she answered my email, agreed, adding, “I don’t believe it should be superstitiously tossed out!”
I even turned to the New Orleans Magazine social media followers for their input on the topic.
In a surprising turn, 62% of the voters said you shouldn’t eat a king cake after the season even if you bought it before the season ended, with 55% doubling down on not being able to eat it at any point throughout the year.
With all this being said, here’s where I’ve landed personally. I love the idea that king cake is limited to just Carnival season as it makes the consumption special because of its limitations. Part of me, however, is still superstitious, so I will not be consuming any additional king cake outside of the season. I will, however, be finishing the king cake I have left over, as throwing it out would be almost sacrilegious and it definitely won’t last long at my house.
