The Cake Pull: A New Orleans Tradition

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Cake and charms have a long, tasty history. New Orleanians usher in Mardi Gras season by sharing plastic baby–studded King Cake, which harkens back to pagan tradition in Rome. The Irish bake Barmbrack bread, speckled with raisins and ominous trinkets, in honor of an ancient, autumnal festival. Then there’s the cake pull.

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Historically speaking, the ring determines the next to get married; a horseshoe or clover represents good luck; a telephone symbolizes good news; an anchor conveys hope; a heart means love lies ahead; a thimble or button condemns an old maid; and a penny alludes to poverty. Modern cake pulls contain up to 20 charms, and don’t necessarily include tokens of ill-will. New Orleanians also love including images of local culture, which can mean anything from jesters, to fleur-de-lis, to oysters.

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