Paczki is a delicious Polish pastry, pronounced "POONCH-key" in the plural and "POONCH-kah" for one of them. The name paczka means "little package."
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| Paczki dusted with powdered sugar and granulated sugar. |
For Polish Catholic communities in America Paczki Day is celebrated on Fat Tuesday, the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.
The baking of Paczki was traditionally a way to use up all of the fat (lard - now called vegetable shortening), sugar and fruit in the house as they were forbidden during Lent.
Paczki is an extra large dough ball, rich in egg yolks and deep fried, like a donut. Overfilled with raspberry, strawberry, custard, lemon, cream cheese and the traditional filling of prune, they are topped with powdered sugar or granulated sugar.
A Paczki is not a jelly filled doughnut, it is much richer, and people of Polish decent thinks it tastes better!
Smacznego
polish for bon appetit
Cheerfully,
I have to agree, they do taste better! Love them, and always have to be careful not to eat too many.
ReplyDeleteOf course they taste better. Anything made with real eggs and butter and are very rich, tastes heavenly compared to the cheap stuff you get at the I-want-more-profit bakeries.
ReplyDeletePaczkies sound delicious. A custard or cream cheese filled and sprinkled with granulated sugar sounds like ambrosia.
ReplyDeleteI fondly remember the Pennsylvania German Fastnachts prepared on this day (Shrove Tuesday). They are similar to donuts, too. Alas. there are none prepared in my southern neighborhood so I have not enjoyed one since my youth (many Shrove Tuesdays ago). Maybe one year I'll try them on my own.
This looks (and sounds) delicious... And it's so not on the diet (but who cares). :)
ReplyDeleteThese are delicious! Every year, the Theology department at our school treats the staff to Paczkis- what a treat!
ReplyDelete