Don't blame the Paczki!

Since I am Polish and I love my heritage, this day is such a blast for me. Sure it seems to many Americans that its all about the high-fat, yummy pastries. But really, its not.

Everybody blames the Paczki and says terrible things about it. Its really not the fault of the Paczki. And Fat Tuesday is not a Polish tradition. Its only one day out of the year, and its not required that you eat one. Its also a Polish custom, so if your not Polish, no need to get all in a tizzy. I've already had a few people knock my culture this morning. (Calling the tradition a disgusting gorge fest) But I'm not going to let anyone offend me.

Yes, alot of our food is high in saturated fat, but I can honestly say that at least 90% of my polish relatives and friends are fit and healthy. No heart disease. Its probably because of the homecooking philosophy and family style meals. And probably alot to do with the home gardening and daily walking. I don't know where you come from, but what I see around here is little old European men and ladies walking around the neighborhoods all day long. Even in the cold.

So all I'm trying to say is, if you want to experience this very old Polish tradition, enjoy it!:drinker: Its a cultural experience, not an excuse to be a pig, as it seems to have been adopted for.

Heres a little background from
http://polishgeno.com/?p=55

For those of you who don’t know much about it, Pączki is a deliciously addictive Polish pastry. Pączki Day is celebrated just before the beginning of Lent, and the baking of Pączki was traditionally a way to use up all of the fat (lard - now vegetable shortening), sugar and fruit in the house as they were forbidden during Lent.

Said to have originated in the Middle Ages, Pączki is an extra large doughball, rich in egg yolks and deep fried, like a donut. Overfilled with raspberry, strawberry, custard, lemon, cream cheese and the traditional filling of prune, they are topped with a smooth sugar glaze or fine granulated sugar.

In Poland, Pączki Day is celebrated on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. In Polish communities in America, it is celebrated on Fat Tuesday (the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday). Polish Pączki were traditionally eaten on this day in Poland. The custom continued after Poles immigrated to America, and over time the celebrated date changed from Tuesday to Thursday (According to The Polish Museum of America, Chicago, IL).

Another tid-bit from me:

Paczki = plural. NOT Paczki's
Paczek = singular

So have yourself a paczek and enjoy it. But if you wind up eating paczki, thats your own fault. If you really want to have the full Polish experience, wash them down with beer and Vodka!:laugh: :drinker:

I'm skipping the beer and vodka, but I'll have me a paczek and log it in my diary. We got up early to go to the bakery and get them fresh! I'll take a walk with my daughter later after we cook a good Polish dinner and eat it together. We'll talk about our culture and how we got to America and look forward to doing it again in 365 days.:flowerforyou:

Enjoy!