the phrase "La Rosca de Ares"

Question

something about a cake with a crown on top for New Year's day

Welcome to the forum! - sarahjs, Jan 9, 2010

Answer 1

Could it be Rosca de Reyes, which is a bread baked in Mexico in celebration of Three Kings Day (Jan 6th)?

There is a recipe for it here. Apparently, it's traditional to bake a small porcelain baby Jesus into it!

Answer 2

Well, the answers by flordvs & sheila-foster suggest that it would be the cake served on Three Kings Day, escpecially since we just passed that holiday this last week.

However,

• la rosca = thread, spiral

• el ares = till, plow

• This leaves a possible question: Could it be the marks left behind when someone tills or plows? Since a plow/till leaves behind a trace very similar to that of a thread in fabric.

• So, I'm saying a possible translation could be plow marks
• Which of course, leads to another explanation; In Argentina, someone who is sooooo wasted that they [may] pass out, they would say ser pasada la rosca, so would la rosca de ares describe a hangover? i.e. She was so plowed last night, she has 'plow marks'

BTW, I asked a couple Argetine friends, and they've never heard the phrase. One told me that most likely it is the dessert served on Three Kings Days - bdclark0423, Jan 9, 2010

Answer 3

I think Sheila is probably right. "Rosca" means a bread of cake shaped in a ring (or just a ring or spiral in general).