During Mardi Gras, bakeries like Gambino's Bakery sell king cakes all across the city. Shops begin selling the pastry on January 6, or King's Day, and through the eve of Mardi Gras, which is Tuesday, February 25, 2020. The pastry is eaten in Catholic countries around the world as a way to celebrate the coming of the three kings, but in New Orleans, it marks the Carnival season and the city has become synonymous with the dessert. Each pastry is decorated with frosting and sprinkles in purple, green and gold, and a small plastic baby is baked into each cake as part of a New Orleans tradition that started many years ago. Tradition goes that whoever finds the baby has to bring the king cake for the next party.
