From Roman feasts to 3D-printing - the story of France's 'Galette des Rois'

Every January, French bakeries proudly sell the 'Galette des Rois', a golden-brown almond pastry associated with Epiphany. The cake has a hidden trinket, and the person who gets the slice with the lucky charm is crowned king for the day.

This Galette des Rois, a creation by pastry chef Nina Metayer, has a crust that evokes the Notre Dame cathedral. Nina Metayer / Mathieu Salomé

This tradition, also observed in Belgium, Switzerland, Lebanon and Latin America, derives from a pagan festival held during Roman times.

RFI's Arnab Béranger looks into the tradition and speaks to Nina Metayer, a pastry chef whose Galette des Rois was crowned 'Best Parisian galette' by Le Figaro magazine.

Click the "play" button above to listen to the audio report, or subscribe to our podcast by searching for "RFI international report".

Or see the video below.