6 things you should know about paczki
On Tuesday, plenty of metro Detroiters will set out to indulge in paczki — beloved fruit- or cream-filled Polish pastries. Paczki arrived in the U.S. around the 19th century with Polish Catholic immigrants. The Polish Catholics brought the tradition of using up and clearing pantries of fats such as butter and lard and sweets, ahead of the Lent, the 40 days of fasting and reflection leading to Easter.
Here's what to know about paczki.
The name paczki translates to "little packages." Paczki is pronounced POONCH-key and is plural; one pastry is a paczek (POON-check).
The paczki is thought of as a way to use up fatty ingredients like lard and butter, as well as sugar, eggs, and fruit before Lenten fasting begins.
Don't call paczki jelly doughnuts. They have a much richer flavor because the yeasty dough is made with more eggs. They are also bigger and plumper; the shape is more like a sphere.
In Poland, the last Thursday before Lent begins is called Fat Thursday. So the splurge day was Feb. 27.
A small amount of grain alcohol is added to the paczki dough before cooking. As the alcohol evaporates, it prevents the absorption of oil deep into the dough so the pastry is not greasy.
Calories and fat? Brace yourself. Depending on the size, paczki can have as many as 400 calories and more than 20 grams of fat.
Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What to know about paczki, the beloved Polish pastry
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