Rosca de reyes, sweet epiphany of the Lord

The rooted Christian custom of sharing the Rosca de Reyes (Bagel of Kings), on January 6, is a tradition that takes increasingly more importance for Ecuadorians, making us look at major hotels, restaurants and bakeries in the city for the much desired and delicious treat.

The bagel is shared among family members because of the feast of the Lord’s Epiphany (the visit of the Three Wise Men: Melchior, Gaspar and Baltazar) who traveled from the East, following the star to Bethlehem to worship the newborn Jesus and offer him gold, frankincense and myrrh, gifts fit for a king.

Rosca de Reyes

The sweet tradition of the rosca de reyes, celebrated especially in Spain and Mexico, arrived in Guayaquil over 25 years ago when the Hotel Unipark started baking the bagels. “In those days there was not even the Easter bread,” recalls a former pastry.

Cesar Maldonado, hotel chef, said the thread of that place is characterized by orange custard, figs and cherries. “This gives the thread a different flavor,” he said.

The demand is so great that this year, the mission of the pastry was to make no less than 10,500 threads.

The Hilton Colon, La Canoa restaurant from Hotel Continental and the Bakery from Hotel California are also sites where different versions of the Rosca de Reyes, all delicious, can be found.

In Ecuador, the rosca de reyes is shared, accompanied by a cup of hot chocolate.

Nothing like a hot cup of Chocolate with the Rosca de Reyes