I’ve already been warned
about the Polish version of Fat Tuesday! Locally known as Tłusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday), this day allows you to stuff your
face with as many Polish doughnuts as you can before the fasting season of Lent
begins.
Instead of parading and
partying like other Catholic-observant countries do for Mardis Gras or Fat Tuesday, the Poles will
queue up in long, long lines to purchase pastries from the local cukiernia (bakery). The most popular Polish
pastry, particularly on Fat Thursday, are pączki – large, deep-fried doughnuts. These sugary doughnuts
are typically filled with rose petal jam (or other marmalades), glazed with
sugar, and then sometimes topped with candied orange peel. The pączki are very similar to our
American jelly-filled doughnuts in the U.S.
 |
| You'll find a variety of the Polish doughnuts around the city! |
Fat Thursday is tomorrow
(February 27th), but I’ve already seen advertisements for pączki since last week here in Warsaw! I guess I’d be stocking up on sweets too if I knew I
couldn’t eat them either for 40 days during Lent!
My Polish friends have
warned me that many offices even have pączki
eating contests – to see who can eat the most! My husband isn’t sure what to
expect at his office.
According to my daily
email from Warsaw
Foodie, 75 percent of Poles will
eat at least 3 doughnuts and 33 percent will eat as many as 5 pieces tomorrow!
Now, that’s a lot of doughnuts!
One of the most popular
and traditional places where Poles purchase these donuts are A. Blikle cafes, located throughout
Warsaw. This year, Blikle will offer two new modern-day fillings – orange-ginger
or cherry-chili. I’m honestly surprised about the chili flavor because rarely
do I find anything spicy here unless I go out to a Thai restaurant.
Another Fat Thursday
favorite in Poland
are faworki. Nicknamed “Angel’s
Wings, these thin, crispy ribbons of pastry dough are fried, and then sprinkled
liberally with powdered sugar. Luckily, I’ll be learning how to make faworki at a baking class at CookUp
tonight!
 |
| Crispy piles of sweet Polish faworki at A. Blikle Cafe in Warsaw. |
Since this will be our
first Lent and Easter season in Poland, I’m curious to see what will happen
on Fat Thursday. I plan to take my camera around to some of the popular cukiernia I know in Centrum and see what
the fuss is all about!
Don’t miss out on this
Polish holiday! Follow along tomorrow’s pączki
madness via my Instagram
feed or Facebook Page.
Smacznego!
9 comments:
Fat Thursday is probably my favourite holiday in Poland :) And I'm really going to eat loads of pączki, around 8-10 I guess (this is the only time I enjoy them so much). Joy, have a great day tomorrow and celebrate Fat Thursday as if it was the last time you can eat pączki in life! :)
How strange it is Thursday instead of Tuesday - I suppose a doughnut is just a puffed up pancake.
@Donia, ENJOY! Sounds like one holiday that I can fully support! :-)
@Annie, I'm not sure. The tradition dates back to the 17th century. I couldn't find out exactly why it's on Thursday instead of Tuesday in Poland. But it it a delicious holiday!
I am all for this donut day - I'd definitely be on the 5 donut end of things. Go big or go home ;) Have fun!
I found your blog on one of the expat sites. Thanks for all your great posts about the places you have lived and visited. I was in Turkey last week and used some of your recommendations and also sent some of your posts to a friend who was traveling in Poland last week.
Carrie
51500.blogspot.com
I just moved to Warsaw from NYC. Couldn't stop reading your blog!
@Carrie, Thanks for taking the time to write back! I love hearing that I was able to help out somehow. :-) Hope you enjoyed eating around Turkey!
@Zuzanna, Witamy to Warsaw! If you need any help adjusting to life here, let me know. The gray days can be a bit overwhelming at times! Happy to meet for a cup of coffee or beer someday!
I am SO excited that we found your blog. My family will be traveling to Poland next month. I love to read about your experiences. We enjoyed some pączki from a local store but I'm sure fresh ones are even better. I am looking forward to the culture and cuisine!
@Kim, happy to help! Will you be traveling all over Poland? There's really a lot to see in this country, and I'm finding out that Poland really needs to do a better job of promoting itself. We've really enjoyed our trips to Gdansk, Sopot, Malbork Castle, Krakow, Kazimierz Dolny and the Kampinos Forest.
If you have any questions, I'm happy to try and assist some more.
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