Food you shouldn't miss to eat during Fat Thursday in Poland (2024)

Did you know that there is a festive celebration called "Fat Thursday" (Polish: Tłusty Czwartek) before Ash Wednesday in Poland?

Fat Thursday will be celebrated on February 11th this year. Traditionally, it was linked to the last opportunity for feasting before Lent. Lent isis a solemn religious observance in the Christianliturgical calendarthat begins onAsh Wednesdayand ends approximately six weeks later, beforeEaster Sunday. During Fat Thursday,people would meet their friends and relatives and eat large quantities of sweets, cakes, and other meals that usually not eaten during Lent. Among the most popular all-national dishes served on that day, you should not miss your chance to enjoypączkiand faworki.

Pączki (Polish doughnuts)

Food you shouldn't miss to eat during Fat Thursday in Poland (1)

Pączki (singular – pączek) are a Polish version of the doughnut, known as themost widely and commonly consumed food duringFat Thursday. The most traditional pączki are filled with rose-flavoured jam, but many varieties exist. Besides rose-flavoured jam, the doughnuts can also be filled with chocolate, raspberry jam, or custard and can be topped with icing, sugar, or almonds. Onesaid that you will have bad luck for an entire year if you do not eat at least one pączek on this day! On Fat Thursday, many big businessesin major Polish cities give pączki away as presents to staff, which means it’s a national phenomenon.

Faworki (Angel Wings)

Food you shouldn't miss to eat during Fat Thursday in Poland (2)

The second special treat of a typical Fat Thursday are faworki. Visually, people interpreted the food as angel wings. They are delightful little crisps of pastry that have been fried and turned into twisted ribbon shapes. Faworki are sprinkled with powdered sugar and purchased normally in a large box before being placed in a bowl to share.

Where can you buy these foods?

Since itis a nationwide festival all over Poland, you can find it in almost every bakery and grocery store! In a famous bakery store, you can see a long queue of people wanting to buy pączki. You can also expect a big promotion coming from a grocery store the followingday. As they stock a great amount of fresh pączki, they usually come up with 50-70% of the reduced price to finish their stock the following day.

Make sure you try these two typical Polish treats if you are in Poland on Fat Thursday!

Photo: Elisheva Gohar via Unsplash.com, Beata Lipov viahttps://lawendowy-dom.com.pl/

Food you shouldn't miss to eat during Fat Thursday in Poland (2024)

FAQs

Food you shouldn't miss to eat during Fat Thursday in Poland? ›

Among the most popular all-national dishes served on that day, you should not miss your chance to enjoy pączki and faworki. Pączki (singular – pączek) are a Polish

Polish
Among popular Polish national dishes are bigos [ˈbiɡɔs], pierogi [pʲɛˈrɔɡʲi], kiełbasa, kotlet schabowy [ˈkɔtlɛt sxaˈbɔvɨ] (pork loin breaded cutlet), gołąbki [ɡɔˈwɔ̃pkʲi] (stuffed cabbage leaves), zrazy [ˈzrazɨ] (roulade), zupa ogórkowa [ˈzupa ɔɡurˈkɔva] (sour cucumber soup), zupa grzybowa [ˈzupa ɡʐɨˈbɔva] (mushroom ...
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Polish_cuisine
version of the doughnut, known as the most widely and commonly consumed food during Fat Thursday.

What is eaten in Poland on Fat Thursday before the start of Lent in order to bring luck for the rest of the year? ›

Pączki have been the snack of choice on Fat Thursday since the 17th century and, according to superstition, not eating one brings bad luck for a year. Where to find the best Pączki in Kraków?

Why does Poland celebrate Fat Thursday instead of Fat Tuesday? ›

In a piece from Smithsonian Magazine, Fat Thursday is the tradition of Catholic Poles, the Thursday before Lent begins (Ash Wednesday). Smithsonian Magazine calls it "a time to use up 'luxurious' foods like lard and sugar before Lenten fasting began and they could no longer eat them.

What are Polish pączki on Fat Thursday? ›

Traditional foods include pączki (doughnuts), which are large deep-fried pieces of yeast dough, traditionally filled with fruit jam or rose petal jam (though others are often used) and topped with powdered sugar, icing or glaze. Angel wings (faworki or chrusty) are also commonly consumed on this day.

How do you celebrate Fat Thursday? ›

Celebrating Fat Thursday

On Fat Thursday, Poles indulge in a variety of sweet treats, with the most iconic being pączki (pronounced “ponch-key”), which are deep-fried doughnuts filled with jam or other sweet fillings.

What do Polish people eat on Fat Thursday? ›

Pączki (singular – pączek) are a Polish version of the doughnut, known as the most widely and commonly consumed food during Fat Thursday. The most traditional pączki are filled with rose-flavoured jam, but many varieties exist.

What to eat on Fat Tuesday Polish? ›

Fat Tuesday, or as it is lovingly called in many areas of Michigan, Paczki Day. This day is celebrated by indulging in the traditional Polish jelly-filled pastry known as a pączek (PON-check). The more commonly used name for these is pączki (POONCH-kee), which is the plural pronunciation for this sweet treat.

Why do people eat pączki for Fat Tuesday? ›

Paczki were created to use up the last of the forbidden ingredients of Lent, including lard, eggs, fruit, and sugar. While the fat in paczki dough is butter, the dough was traditionally fried in lard to use it up before Lent.

Why do they celebrate Fat Thursday? ›

Originating in Poland and Central Europe, Fat Thursday, or “Tłusty Czwartek” in Polish, marks the last Thursday before Lent. It's a day of feasting on sweets, particularly doughnuts called “pączki” in Polish, to indulge before the fasting period of Lent begins.

What is the meaning of Fat Tuesday in Poland? ›

The Polish celebration of Fat Tuesday is the last chance to indulge before the fasting days of Lent. In the old days, meat and meat by-products, like butter and eggs, couldn't be eaten during Lent.

What's the difference between paczki and Sufganiyot? ›

What's the difference between paczki and sufganiyot? In Poland, jelly doughnuts are called paczki which means flower buds. Traditionally, they were fried in lard which sets them apart from sufganiyot, which are fried in oil.

What are some fun facts about paczki? ›

Fun Facts :

They used to be savory — The paczki's roots date back to the Middle Ages, when they were filled with pork fat and fried in lard. In some Polish-heavy Midwestern cities Fat Tuesday is known as Paczki Day. During the holiday, local bakeries sell tens of thousands of these fresh pastries in the morning.

What's the difference between a donut and a paczki? ›

Dobra Bielinski, the owner of Chicago's Delightful Pastries bakery, previously told the Smithsonian magazine that while similar to other fried pastries, paczki aren't just a doughnut with another name. Paczki dough is richer and heavier than what you'll find in a typical American doughnut.

What is tradition to eat on Fat Tuesday? ›

What are some foods traditionally eaten on Fat Tuesday? Depending on your tradition, religion, or culture, people enjoy a variety of foods on Fat Tuesday, including pancakes, king cake, jambalaya, or a crawfish boil. Individuals consume foods high in fat and sugar to prepare for Lenten fasting.

What do Catholics eat on Fat Tuesday? ›

Traditional Fat Tuesday Meals

Many celebrations include donuts, pancakes, and Polish Pączki. One popular favorite food item is Mardi Gras King Cake—a delicious cake with a small plastic baby hidden inside, representing the baby Jesus.

What is the Polish food for Lent? ›

Żurek ('ZHOO-rek') or żur is a soup made of homemade or store-bought sourdough from rye flour. It's garnished with boiled white sausage and boiled egg halves. Long ago, żurek and herring were the main pre-Easter Lent fasting food staples.

What food is eaten before Lent? ›

Pancakes are associated with Shrove Tuesday, the day preceding Lent, because they are a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent.

What do Polish people eat on Shrove Tuesday? ›

Paczki are traditional Polish doughnuts that distinguish themselves with a richer, sweeter dough and are filled with jams, custard or a traditional prune filling. The doughnuts are eaten by Polish Catholics on Shrove Tuesday to splurge before fasting begins for Lent the next day.

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