It is Fat Thursday in Poland!
Although many housewives make “pączki” (donuts) at home, one can still see crowds of people standing in the line at confectioneries to buy this Fat Thursday’s specialities!
Do you know, what holiday is celebrated the Thursday before Ash Wednesday?
It is Fat Thursday in Poland!
From Christmas Day until Lent, the period of forty days before Easter, Polish people celebrate Carnival. They have a horse-drawn sleigh ride through the snow-covered countryside, eat sweets, cakes and special pastries like "pączki” (donuts).
In modern times, Carnival is rather increasingly seen as an excuse for intensive partying and night-clubbing, and has become more commercialized with stores offering Carnival-season sales. The Tuesday before the start of Lent is also treat as the last day to party before the Lenten season.
The first donuts did not remind those that we know nowadays. Those made of the same dough as bread, filled with pork fat and fried on lard were popular until 16th century. Only afterwards they were made in a sweet way.
The most important secret is that the confectioneries do not make them in advance, every respectful cake shop makes pączki the night before the Poles reach the shops to buy them.
Polish pączki are still different than so called donuts or similar sweets made in other countries. Their dough is made of yeast, flour and eggs. Polish pączki are fried in deep oil or lard only for several dozen of seconds so that the fat would not soak inside. They taste the best when still warm! Some people used to fill few of them with almond or nut instead of marmalade while encountering this exquisite filling was supposed to bring good luck.
Although many housewives make pączki at home, one can still see crowds of people standing in the line at confectioneries to buy this Fat Thursday’s specialities!
