Fat Thursday is a traditional Polish feast marking the last Thursday before Lent. It is similar to, but should not be confused with, the French festival of Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday"). Traditionally it is a day of gluttony and belly-worship, when people meet in their homes or cafes with their friends and relatives and eat large quantities of sweets, cakes, and all other meals forbidden during Lent. Among the most popular all-national dishes served on that day are paczki.
Mardi Gras (French for "Fat Tuesday") is the day before Ash Wednesday, and is also called "Shrove Tuesday." It is the final day of Carnival. It is a celebration that is held just before the beginning of the Christian liturgical season of Lent in order to prepare for the coming fasting.
Our beautiful and tasty treat is created with a sweet Danish dough layered with either cinnamon or Strawberry Cheese, which is then braided into an oval. It is topped with icing and finished with purple, gold, and green sugar. It is packaged in a handsome window box and includes beads, coins, and a baby Jesus. The King Cake has been associated with the Mardi Gras season for many years. The season begins on January sixth, known as the Epiphany, the day the three Wise Men of the East: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, found the baby Jesus. The King Cake reminds us of this day by its shape, color and decoration. Its oval shape represents unity of all Christians. The colors purple, gold, and green stand for justice, power, and faith respectively. A small baby doll, bean, or coin is hidden in the cake to symbolize the finding of the baby Jesus. Whoever finds this symbol in their slice of cake traditionally buys the King cake for the next celebration. The season ends with either Fat Thursday or Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), the day before Ash Wednesday. This day traditionally is known as Paczki Day. Paczki Day was the day in which to use up all of the ingredients that would spoil during the fasting associated with the Lenten season.
* Because the baby is a choking hazard, we do not insert it in the King Cake, we put it under the king cake. We recommend removing the baby and coins before cutting and serving.*
Paczki are similar to a bismark, but are made with richer, heavier dough that takes longer to fry. They are shaped into a flattened ball, deep-fried to a golden brown, filled with a variety of fillings, and then usually covered with powdered sugar. Traditionally, paczki were made in order to use up all the lard, sugar, and fruit in the house before Lent. Our Paczki are made with vegetable shortening and fried in vegetable shortening.