Fasnachts

Tjcoley

Happy Fasnacht Day (aka Paczki). Still warm from the bakery.

hondabbq

I saw these Paczki at the grocery store for the first time last Thursday. They had different fillings. I assumed they are like Jam busters aka jelly doughnuts. 

hondabbq

From Wikipedia:

 

Paczki are deep-fried pieces of dough shaped into flattened spheres and filled with confiture or other sweet filling. Paczki are usually covered with powdered sugar, icing or bits of dried orange zest. A small amount of grain alcohol (traditionally, Spiritus) is added to the dough before cooking; as it evaporates, it prevents the absorption of oil deep into the dough.^[1]

Although they look like German berliners, North American bismarcks or jelly doughnuts, paczki are made from especially rich dough containing eggs, fats, sugar, and sometimes milk. They feature a variety of fruit and creme fillings and can be glazed, or covered with granulated or powdered sugar. Powidl (stewed plum jam) and wild rose hip jam^[1][2] are traditional fillings, but many others are used as well, including strawberry, Bavarian cream, blueberry, custard, raspberry, and apple.^[3]

Pączki have been known in Poland at least since the Middle Ages. Jędrzej Kitowicz has described that during the reign of August III, under the influence of French cooks who came to Poland, paczki dough was improved, so that paczki became lighter, spongier, and more resilient

 

In Poland, pączki are eaten especially on Fat Thursday (Tłusty Czwartek), the last Thursday prior to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. The traditional reason for making paczki was to use up all the lard, sugar, eggs and fruit in the house, because their consumption was forbidden by Catholic fasting practices during Lent.

In the large Polish community of Chicago, and in other large cities across the Midwest, Paczki Day is celebrated annually by immigrants and locals alike. In Buffalo, Toledo, Cleveland, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Milwaukee, South Bend, and Windsor, Paczki Day is more commonly celebrated on Fat Tuesday instead of Fat Thursday. Chicago celebrates the festival on both Fat Thursday and Fat Tuesday, due to its sizable Polish population. Chicagoans also often eat paczki on Casimir Pulaski Day.

In Hamtramck, Michigan, an enclave of Detroit, there is an annual Paczki Day (Shrove Tuesday) Parade,^[3] which has gained a devoted following. In the Metro Detroit area, it is so widespread throughout the region that many bakeries have line-ups for paczki on Paczki Day.^[6] The Paczki Day celebrations in some areas are even larger than many celebrations for St. Patrick's Day.^{[citation needed]} In some areas, Paczki Day is celebrated with paczki-eating contests. The eating contest in Evanston, Illinois, started in 2010, and is held on the weekend before Fat Tuesday, while Hamtramck's contest is held on the holiday

Skiddymarker

Shrove Tuesday for us, or Pancake Tuesday. Virtually every Christian ethnic culture has a special unique item that uses up all the rich foods prior to the start of Lent tomorrow, Ash Wednesday. Never had a paczki but they look awesome. 

Might just try Tj's chicken and waffles tonight - stretch from pancakes, but similar.

Tjcoley

Skiddymarker said:

Shrove Tuesday for us, or Pancake Tuesday. Virtually every Christian ethnic culture has a special unique item that uses up all the rich foods prior to the start of Lent tomorrow, Ash Wednesday. Never had a paczki but they look awesome. 

Might just try Tj's chicken and waffles tonight - stretch from pancakes, but similar.

Hadn't thought of chicken and waffles, but that's a great idea for Fat Tuesday. May have to do them here as well.

Tjcoley

hondabbq said:

I saw these Paczki at the grocery store for the first time last Thursday. They had different fillings. I assumed they are like Jam busters aka jelly doughnuts. 

hondabbq said:

I saw these Paczki at the grocery store for the first time last Thursday. They had different fillings. I assumed they are like Jam busters aka jelly doughnuts. 

Here in PA they are made fresh on Shrove, or Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent starts, to use up all the lard. Most are not filled, either glazed, sugar coated, or cinnamon sugar coated, or powdered sugar coated. The PA Dutch bakery down the street was having a hard time keeping up with the demand. There were 20 people in line ahead of me, and they were selling as fast as they brought them out. Still hot when I got them home.

yzzi

First job was at a bakery in PA....Fasnact day was great.