Paczki
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pączki (Polish: pączki, pronounced: [ˈpɔntʂkʲi] listen or MP3 File) are traditional Polish doughnuts. Pączki is the plural form of the word pączek (pronounced: [ˈpɔntʂɛk]) in Polish, but many English speakers use paczki as singular and paczkis as plural.
A pączek is a deep-fried piece of dough shaped into a flattened sphere and filled with jam or other sweet filling. A traditional filling is marmalade made from fried rose buds. Fresh paczki are usually covered with powdered sugar, icing or bits of fried orange zest.
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[edit] Paczki Day
Traditionally, the reason for making paczki has been to use up all the lard, sugar and fruit in the house, which are forbidden during Lent. They are eaten especially on Fat Thursday, the last Thursday before Lent (Polish: Tłusty czwartek, not to be confused with Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday). In Chicago and Detroit, Paczki Day is more commonly celebrated on Fat Tuesday instead of Fat Thursday.
[edit] Pączki In America
Polish immigrants have popularized this type of preserve-filled doughnut in some parts of the United States, especially in Hamtramck, an enclave of Detroit. Hamtramck is known to be the only U.S. city to organize an annual Paczki-Day (Fat Tuesday) Parade, and lines can be seen up to 24 hours before the deep-fried delights go on sale at the numerous local bakeries. Many bars in town open early in the morning, and provide free entertainment, a party atmosphere, and even Paczki-clad mascots. The Paczki-Day celebration in this town is even larger than many areas have for St. Patrick's Day. Here, prunes are considered the traditional filling, but many others are used as well, including lemon, strawberry, Bavarian cream, blueberry, custard, raspberry, and rarely apple. Due to French influence, paczki are eaten on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) rather than on Fat Thursday. In the large Polish community of Chicago, and other large cities across the Midwest, paczki day is also celebrated annually by immigrants and locals alike.
[edit] Pączki In Israel
Meanwhile, Polish Jews fried pączki (Yiddish: פּאָנטשקעס , pontshkes) in oil, and ate them on Hanukkah[citation needed]; this custom was imported to Israel and spread to other Jews, who know them by their Modern Hebrew name, סופגניות, sufganiyot (singular: סופגניה, sufganiyah).
[edit] Pączki Variations Worldwide
In Russian cuisine, the word "pączki" transformed into "pyshki" (especially in St. Petersburg) and "пончики", ponchiki. The latter may refer to both "paczki" and "pirozhki". In Ukrainian cuisine they are called "пампушки", pampushky.
In German, they are called Berliner or Krapfen.
In Lithuanian cuisine they're called spurgos.
In Portuguese tradition, a similar confection called the malasada is made during Fat Tuesday. In Hawaii, where Portuguese immigrants worked the sugarcane and pineapple plantations, malasadas are a popular breakfast or dessert item that can be purchased at countless malasada bakeries.
In Denmark they are called Æbleskiver(Pancake balls) - the taste and appearance are like little doughnuts.
