'You Can Take It Out? Never Knew That' — Only A Few Brave Souls Defy This King Cake Rule

There are lots of deep-rooted traditions, rules, and superstitions surrounding Mardi Gras. The colorful six-week-long celebration, which coincides with the Carnival season, is marked around the world, but there's one place that Americans associate with the festival, and that is New Orleans. Culminating on Fat Tuesday after weeks of parades, balls, and costume-making, Mardi Gras in NOLA is the party of a lifetime, filled with floats, masks, dancing, and, of course, king cake.

A cross between a coffee cake and a cinnamon roll, a king cake gets its name from the Catholic nativity story, where the three kings bring gifts to the newborn baby Jesus. It's typically topped with purple, green, and gold icing and eaten for breakfast, but people usually snack on it throughout the season. In fact, most homes just leave a knife right in the cake box from start to finish, and many believe that this is actually a necessary king cake rule — but there are a few brave souls who defy the tradition.

It's a historic sweet cake with old world origins that has been tied to Mardi Gras since the 1700s, when the tradition was that whoever found a bean inside their piece would be forced to hold the next ball. Today, a small plastic baby is stuffed inside the cake instead and the superstition is that whoever finds it has to buy the next cake.

The knife debate is actually a pretty hot topic in NOLA, and there are some divisive takes out there. Many are adamant that it needs to stay in the box until the last slice, while others prefer to use a clean one every time. In a Facebook post where users discussed their views, one person said, "Once a knife has been used to cut a piece, it stays in the box until the king cake is gone!" Another commented, "I always wash the knife between cuttings. No judgement, just prefer a clean knife."

An Instagram user who made a reel dedicated to king cake 101 says, "The knife stays in the box. This has become the designated spot for the knife. This is the knife's life now for the duration of said King Cake." No one really knows where the tradition came from, but people have called it a "well-established law" that's "blasphemous" to disobey. Many do it simply because it's how they grew up, and it's more convenient. But some believe a stainless steel knife will actually help absorb moisture and keep the cake fresh.

Besides for sanitary reasons, the argument for taking the knife out of the box is to prevent it from getting thrown away, but locals have an answer for this too: just use a plastic one. Whatever way you lean, making a king cake is always fun — just make sure to keep an eye out for the baby.