Even if you swallow the bean, nothing is lost! Until January 25, a company specializing in gold and jewellery, the Comptoir national de l’Or, is organising, in partnership with eighteen bakeries in France (see box), a lucrative competition around the traditional king cake.
After buying a cake and registering for a draw by QR code, a 20-franc gold coin, worth around €340, can be won in each participating business. A return to a tradition dating from the 18th century, in wealthy families.
“Democratize the yellow metal”
Five years ago, a pastry chef from Béziers slipped two diamonds into his cakes to boost sales. This time, the eighteen lucky winners will, alas, not have the time to feel the coin crunch under their teeth. They will have to wait for the final draw
“During history, the beans placed in the cakes have evolved from legumes to gold or silver coins in the wealthiest families”, explains the Comptoir national de l’Or, in its press release. It is therefore this old tradition that the operation tries to find, without however going so far as to hide the piece, in this case a Napoleon, directly in the frangipane.
“For us, this is an opportunity to democratize the yellow metal and to show pedagogy around its accessibility”, underlines Laurent Schwartz, CEO of the Comptoir national de l’or. And by organizing a draw, we keep the suspense and the potential sales, until the end of the operation.