Fabophiles: can you guess what they like (clue: now is apt in france)?

NOT A WORD YOU HEAR A LOT OUT OF JANUARY - BUT THERE ARE POTENTIALLY MILLIONS OF THEM IN FRANCE They eat or applaud what they do not find, and do not eat but keep what they do… The high

season of _fabophiles_ is here. We look at the surprisingly rich culture behind the collectors of this Epiphany staple. THE GALETTE DES ROIS, OR KINGS’ CAKE, is served at Epiphany each year,

in a tradition that has subsisted since Roman times. Indeed, the name _fabophile_, comes from the Latin _faba _for bean and the Greek _philia _for love. However, the tradition has

transformed over the past century in France, becoming separate from its old religious aspect but closer to the living pulse of culture. In large part this is due to the little _fève_ hidden

inside each cake, which one person finds and keeps, along with the crown. Where once they were usually religious figures, now they are more likely to represent Smurfs, Minions or Peppa Pig.

“They say that the first _fève_ used as an advertisement was shaped like a little moon,” collector and _fève_ historian Sylvian Delhoumi told _OUEST FRANCE_. “They were made by a baker from

Normandy who had moved to Rue de la Lune in Paris sometime before 1914.” Over the years, these curiosities become collectors’ items for _fabophiles_, many of whom have thousands of _fèves_.

Most today are made of porcelain, although in the past there have been metal and even plastic _fèves_. > À vendre collection de fèves ( certaines pièces de grosse valeur > ) qui date 

de plus de 30 ans, environ 5000 pieces 1500€ > négociable RT APPRÉCIES 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ocvLoFNENz > — vitinho (@vitinhoDu94) September 16, 2019 The number of _fabophiles _in France

is impossible to gauge. Millions of people have ten, thousands have thousands. Some rare _fèves_, such as the one made to celebrate the Entente Cordiale alliance in 1914, are worth up to

€2,000. “Fèves have always been a marker of their period,” said Mr Delhoumi. “It is what I find most interesting: they are a reflection of history.” “There are _fèves_ celebrating the

progress of aviation, of air balloons, or about history with the Entente Cordiale and various wars. However, with up to 5,000 new models of _fèves_ each year, from mass-produced Disney

characters to those carefully made by artisanal bakers, _fabophiles_ will never run out of objects to collect and exchange. READ MORE RECIPE: HOW TO MAKE A PERFECT GALETTE DATES OF JANUARY

SALES IN FRANCE AND KEY POINTS TO KNOW