Freemaps

The Loulé city council on January 6th presented The famous ‘Bolo Do Rei’ or King’s Cake which measured 150 meters long, produced by local business Loulé Doce. This delicious cake was displayed in the historic local fruit and vegetable market in the centre of Loulé. Local citizens and visitors all had a chance to enjoy some of this scrumptious cake.  

The ingredients used were: 110 kgs of flour, 100 kg of crystallized fruit for decoration, 50 kg of chopped candied fruit, 22 kgs of eggs (38 dozen), 22 kg of sugar, 14 kg of margarine, 2 kg of flavouring drinks, 1.6 kg of salt and 1.6 kg of yeast (plus sultanas, almonds, figs and nuts) .

This special event was to mark the Day of Kings. The Day of Kings in the Christian calendar is the last day of the Epiphany (the period between the birth of Christ to the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem). It is celebrated on January 6 with the arrival of the three kings, Gaspar, Baltazar and Belchior. They had followed the star of Bethlehem to find the boy Jesus carrying with them gold, incense and myrrh as gifts.

Two thousand years later the famous tradition of eating Bolo de Rei is alive and well in Loulé. Join in the celebrations next January 6 if you are touring this area.