The Fattest of All Thursdays

The Fattest of All Thursdays

~Blog Post #2~

April 12, 2015

By: Sierra Kepski

Over the past several weeks, the entire Christian community participated in Lent and more importantly, celebrated Easter. This major holiday season is an important time in the Polish tradition since it is a time for feasts and festivals full of yummy food up until Ash Wednesday. Before many people around the world celebrate Mardi Gras on Fat Tuesday, people with Polish heritage celebrate Fat Thursday, the last Thursday prior to Ash Wednesday. Traditionally this is a day dedicated to eating various Polish dishes, and more importantly the many sweets and cakes, since many people give up these sweets for their Lenten fasts. Without a doubt, the face of Fat Thursday is the famous Paczkis.

 Although Paczkis are widely known as Poland's version of a doughnut, they taste more like an apple fritter than the doughnut you get from Dunkin. Paczkis are the best tasting jam-filled doughnuts you will ever eat, and if you haven't tried one yet, I highly suggest you do. Honestly, its worth the three pounds that you gain after eating it (Its not called Fat Thursday for nothing). The buttery dough is first shaped into a sphere and then filled with a sugary jam and left to rise. Traditionally, they were filled with a rose petal or plum jam, but more modern fillings include strawberry, apple, blueberry, or apricot. Once the dough has risen, they are fried until golden brown on both sides. Sometimes they are drizzled with honey or icing afterwards, but I prefer them to be powdered with even more sugar. 

Every year I look forward to my dad bringing a dozen of these bad boys home from the Polish bakery in town. Stick one of them in the microwave for twenty seconds, and it tastes like its fresh out of the fryer. For the remaining week up until Ash Wednesday, we eat them for desert, snacks, and even breakfast.