I�ve already been warned about the Polish version of Fat Tuesday! Locally known as Tlusty 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 paczki � 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 paczki are very similar to our American jelly-filled doughnuts in the U.S.
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| 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 paczki 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 paczkieating 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 Polandare 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 CookUptonight!
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| 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 paczkimadness via my Instagram feed or Facebook Page.
Smacznego!