Every year, around the middle of February, millions of people flock to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is traditionally the last day for Catholics to indulge (and sometimes over-indulge) before the beginning of Lent.
In New Orleans, they celebrate decadently with huge parades and throw tons of colorful beaded necklaces from floats. There are also lots of masquerade balls, with partygoers wearing beautiful and intricate masks.
Mardi Gras season has also inspired some pretty indulgent food. One of the most well-known Mardi Gras foods is the King Cake. (No, it has nothing to do with Elvis, though we have a cake for him, too!) King Cakes are often twisted or braided sweet dough, topped with a sugary glaze and purple, green and gold sprinkles. (Those are the traditional Mardi Gras colors.) Usually, a plastic toy or baby is baked inside and the person who gets the “king” toy in their piece of cake is supposed to host the next party.
