Paczki Day 2011: What You Need To Know (PHOTOS)

While most know today as Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, those of Polish descent may know it as Paczki Day.

Paczki Day is described by AnnArbor.com as simply "excessive consumption of fat, jelly-filled Polish pastries." It is a popular holiday in Ann Arbor, Mich., as well as American cities with large Polish populations such as Chicago, Buffalo and Detroit.

The word Paczki (pronounced POONCH-key), or pączek, is defined by Dictionary.com as: "A round Polish pastry similar to a doughnut, usually filled with fruit and topped with sugar or icing." Traditionally, Paczki Day originated due to the need to use up lard, sugar and eggs prior to Lent, which begins the day after.

Want to participate by eating paczki? You can check food review websites like Yelp.com to search for locations selling paczki near you. If you prefer to make your own, you can find paczki recipes here and here.

You can also follow Paczki Day today a number of ways online. Many news sites with significant Polish populations have extensive coverage, and MLive.com even has a "paczki cam" with live video of paczki from the Bay City Times in Michigan.

Take a look at photos of paczki below and vote on your favorites.

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Paczki

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Total comments: 11 | Post a Comment

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This Paczki

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Mmmm

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Comments

[Husaria]

11:48 AM on 03/10/2011

This makes me so happy and sad at the same time.

Happy with childhood memories of Wysowaty's bakery that made paczki ( pon-ch-kee ), placek, babka and other mouth watering Polish treats.

Sad because they have been closed for decades and no one has picked up the torch. : (

[Timothy Knight]

06:01 PM on 03/09/2011

I was ready for one by the second slide!

[48thGuy]

08:20 AM on 03/09/2011

The absolute best place in the United States to purchase real paczkis is Gladstone Bakery on Milwaukee Ave., CHICAGO. Sto Lat!

[Puck342]

11:50 AM on 03/09/2011

Realtalk. As a Chicagoan at school out on the east coast, I really missed wandering around Milwaukee Ave stuffing my face and occasionally dipping in for a drink yesterday. Can't find Polish food like you got in Chicago anywhere else on this side of the Atlantic

[lezahgg]

09:42 PM on 03/08/2011

All the Polish people I know in Chicago celebrated Paczki Day last Thursday. Is this a regional thing? The only Paczki's I've eaten have come from Dominicks and they were just o.k. but I would imagine that the ones from the area Polish bakeries in Chicago would rival those from any other city because everything I've ever eaten from these bakeries has been wonderful.

[emmybee]

09:52 PM on 03/08/2011

If a homemaker had to use up all those ingredients before Ash Wednesday, Thursday makes much more sense. It would give the homemaker time to do all the baking and time for the family to eat up the goodies.

They are usually better and fresher from a bakery.

[ebroadcast]

03:59 PM on 03/08/2011

Of course I didn't realize this yesterday, and wondering why in the heck the line at the bakery was out the freakin front door!

[Ann Oid]

03:08 PM on 03/08/2011

lemon custard, imported from...Hamtramck

We ARE the Paczki City and this IS what we eat! At least today:)

[Pierogi kid]

04:25 PM on 03/08/2011

sorry but Pittsburgh blows your wieś out of the water when it comes to Paczki

[Aelfgifu]

06:16 PM on 03/08/2011

No, no, no. I'm a suburban Detroit native and you couldn't be more wrong.

[Makempay]

09:41 AM on 03/09/2011

Oh boy...no offense, but that's spoken from an area that calls Kielbasa Kabassy. I live in Pittsburgh now and raised in Chicagoland. I'm sorry, but Pittsburgh is a sad comparison to Chicago and Northwest Indiana concerning all things Polish. I miss being able to grab Paczkis at Calumet Bakery every year.