What on earth is Pączki?

Image Credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pączki

What is Pączki?
By Kym Gordon Moore

Until I ran across Pączki Day, which was celebrated on Fat Tuesday, I had no earthly idea what pączki was. Rightfully so, as a southerner, unless I had Polish roots, this was not a familiar name in our pedigree. I got out my trusty dictionary and began to search the web for this term I was unfamiliar with.

Pączki (pronounced "poonchky") are Polish doughnuts that are usually full of jelly, Bavarian cream or some kind of sweet filling, topped with icing or powdered sugar. Then, I immediately thought about the lemon and raspberry filled doughnuts I get from my local Krispy Kreme. Until I am able to taste a pączki, my lemon and raspberry filled Krispy Kreme donuts are the closest palette association I have right now. So where do you find these pączki treats? Urban areas like Chicago and Detroit that have large Polish and Polish-American communities celebrate hot pączki.

Fat Tuesday, also known as Pączki Day, celebrates this fried delectable treat in preparation for the Lenten season. So now it comes down to my all important question "Is pączki served year-round or just explodes only on Pączki Day?" Inquiry minds want to know! If pączki is served in your area outside of the Midwest, please share. We are looking for any excuse to savor a delicious new treat, as we sip on our tea, whether it has Polish origins or not!