A Brief History of the King Cake
Mardi Gras was first celebrated in the New World in Mobile, AL in 1703. A half century later residents of the newly established settlement on the Mississippi River called New Orleans wanted to adopt this American style of Carnivàle. Being neighborly members of Mobile’s Cowbellion de’ Rankin Society ventured west to help out the newcomers. The rest is history. Today N’Awlins is famous for its Fat Tuesday celebration but other cities along 
America’s Third Coast have a century or more a parading under their belts as well like Biloxi, MS, Pensacola, FL and of course Mobile is still home to the oldest Fat Tuesday celebration in the country.
Many uniquely American customs are part of Mardi Gras lore like secret societies, floats and throws. Also a key element is the legendary King Cake. The King Cake is the heart of many a Mardi Gras party. Little more than a Danish decorated with colorful purple, green and gold sugar or icing the King Cake has something to separate it from the average pastry, a baby. Each cake has a tiny plastic baby stashed inside. The tradition being that whoever gets the piece with the baby is the King of the party. The tradition, like Fat Tuesday itself, predates Christianity in Europe. 
That original Pagan ritual ended with the “winner” being sacrificed. Thankfully that part of the tradition has fallen to the wayside.
For the longest time King Cake was something to be endured not enjoyed. It was dry and virtually tasteless but of late Gulf Coast bakers have begun adding flavor to their King Cakes. Cream cheese is a very popular ingredient these days which provides both flavor and moisture. Fruits and fruit compotes are also en vogue. Even those with special diets can enjoy King Cake with recipes for sugar-free and gluten-free cakes now in abundance.
With Mardi Gras just around the corner I urge you to seek out a King Cake from your local baker or order one from the amazon HERE. Try your hand at one of the great American traditions. Laissez les bon temps rouler!
We Have a Winner!
From June, 2008.
Sort of.
I recently entered the “Share Your Discovery Contest: Presented by Tava.” A food writing contest that highlights my single favorite food discovery in my city. I chose Mobile’s most cherished contribution to the culinary world, West Indies Salad. I was the runner-up to Choked Up With Happy Eating Tears and Adventures in Bento Making. When you’re done you’re going to want a recipe so HERE it is. Below is my article:
West Indies Salad – Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama is one of the oldest cities in the new world but these days seems to languish in the shadow of nearby New Orleans. The irony of the situation is that the thing N’awlins is best known for, Mardi Gras, actually started in Alabama’s port city half a century before there was a City that Care Forgot. Members of Mobile’s oldest parading krewe, Cowbellion de Rankin, ventured west in the mid 1700’s to teach the folks in the newly established settlement on the Mississippi River how to celebrate Fat Tuesday. That’s not all the two cities share either. Gumbo? Mobile has it. Fried catfish? Mm hmm, that, too. Antebellum homes, spooky grave yards, and ancient oak tress draped in Spanish Moss? Check, check, and double check.
But Mobile can lay claim to something no one else on the Gulf Coast can . . . it is the birthplace of West Indies Salad. Never heard of it? That is a shame for it is one of the true delicacies of the new world easily on par with Beluga caviar or Kobe beef.
Bill Bayley was a big man usually seen chewing a cigar. As as chef, he traveled the world but in 1947 he and his wife, Ethyl, opened a little shanty south of Mobile in an area that now bears his name, Bayley’s Corner. Mr. Bayley often romanticized that he was inspired to create his signature offering after a lobster dish he encountered while traveling the West Indian island as a mariner. Presumably that dish was civiche, a recipe where seafood like lobster, fish, or shrimp is chemically cooked in the acid of fresh citrus juice.
Mr. Bayley’s recipe substitutes citrus juice with vinegar and employees only one protein, lump white crabmeat from Gulf blue crabs. The recipe’s brilliance lies in its simplicity – over night marinate the crabmeat with finely minced red onion in a solution of apple cider vinegar and ice water seasoned with only salt and pepper. The resulting decadence is equally at home as a luxurious garnish for a perfectly cooked fillet and a glass of fine Bordeaux or alone with a sleeve of saltines and a pitcher of sweet tea.
Mr. Bayley wasn’t done creating legendary recipes. In the 1960’s he was the first to dust crab claws with cornmeal then fry them up crisp and brown. Bayley’s restaurant is still open today and it still serves fresh caught Gulf seafood – Wednesday nights enjoy all-you-can-eat fish and grits, Thursdays all-you-can-eat fried shrimp. Bayley’s Restuant is located at 10805 Dauphin Island Pkwy. Theodore, AL. Call 251-973-1572 for directions.
Although fried crab claws are the better know culinary contribution, West Indies Salad remains the quintessential food of Mobile.
Stuart Reb Donald
Diary of a Wannabe TV Chef – PT 6
This is the latest installment in a continuing series that documents my personal quest to become the host of my own cooking show. Since this is a relatively new “career,” there are no vocational programs or community college courses to prepare me for it. From what I have seen, the two most important elements in securing such a position are passion for food and plain old dumb luck. Born with a passion for food, I set out to make my own luck.
Greener Pastures
Wintzell’s Oyster House has been in operation in Mobile since 1938. What began as an oyster bar with six stools is now a multi-unit restaurant powerhouse that is unique in character and the standard bearer for what a true Gulf Coast oyster house should be. I escape from the Fern Bar to become a part of this remarkable piece of Mobile history as an associate manager.
Wintzell’s managerial formula is that there are no FOH (Front Of House) managers and no BOH (Back Of House) managers. Rather, all managers work both aspects several times a week. My stint there allows me to work at three of the four stores as well as the commissary which makes a good deal of the gumbo, jerk chicken chili, and other signature Wintzell’s dishes. I also get my first taste of catering.
My employment there also has me working notable events like the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival, which transforms the small artist colony of Fairhope, AL into a 200,000 visitor carnival of well-to-do art lovers from across the country. I also spend a week at the original downtown location helping during Mardi Gras. For those who do not know, Mobile, not New Orleans, is the home of American Mardi Gras, having celebrated it for nearly half a century before some engineer decided to erect a city at that peculiar crescent shaped bend in the Mississippi River.
Though the money is great and the experience is good, I have little time left to work towards the ultimate goal of becoming a TV chef. I have not written an article since going into management, over a year in fact. In the summer of 2006, I leave the time-consuming field of restaurant management to become a sous chef for a national chain Italian restaurant.
The chain has a wonderful dedication to quality ingredients and making things from scratch. All in all it is a pleasant experience with one exception, I am dirt poor. On the bright side I do have time to work on my web site and to start writing again. Towards the holidays of 2006, I see an ad that will have a profoundly effect on my quest to become a TV chef.
