Business & Tech

Local Bakeries Serve up Paczkis for Fat Tuesday

Employees at Celina's Deli in Lemont say they will sell thousands of the Polish pastries Tuesday. Patch put together a brief history on Paczki Day, plus a roundup of places to buy them.

If you observe Lent, then you most likely have started the countdown to Feb. 22—Ash Wednesday and the beginning of 40 days of fasting, or the very least, giving up sweets until Easter.

The little time left—called Mardi Gras, Carnival, Carnevale or Fasnacht in parts of the world—will be celebrated with partying and indulgence until the last second of Fat Tuesday, which ends at midnight Feb. 21.

A Polish tradition is to celebrate the last six days of Carnival, known as zapusty, beginning on Fat Thursday (Tłusty Czwartek) when paczki (fried doughnuts) are eaten. In America, paczki can be found in Polish bakeries, with Pączki Day, Feb. 21.

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The pronunciation varies. Some say POHNCH-kee; Americans generally say POONCH-kee. Singular is pączek, pronounced POHNCH-ek. Whichever way you say it, the bakery sales clerk will understand what you want.

Lemont grocers prepare for Fat Tuesday

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With more than 4,500 people of Polish ancestry living in Lemont, according to 2009 U.S. Census estimates, that demands a lot of dough.

An employee at Celina's Deli and Pantry, 814 State St., said a variety of paczkis are already on sale Monday. Flavors include strawberry, prune, apricot blueberry, raspberry and custurd.

The bakery typically sells thousands of paczki on Fat Tuesday, so employees get to the store early to prepare them for customers, she said.

The pastries will also be available at Celina's Fresh Market, 14164 McCarthy Road, which will open at 6 a.m. Tuesday to accommodate the morning rush.

Jim Chipain, owner of Chipain's Fresh Market in Lemont, said they carry fresh paczki from Orland Park Bakery, Bridgeport Bakery and Racine Bakery. 

Chipain's is located at 1100 State St., and is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Paczki history

The baking and consumption of paczki began as a practical matter. Pączki were made as a way to use up the lard and eggs which were prohibited during the ancient observance of Lent. Now, they’re more of a last-minute binge on sweets before the sacrifice begins.

Pączki is Polish for “little package.” And what sweet packages they are.

According to tastingpoland.com, paczki are round spongy yeast cakes, rich in egg yolks and stuffed with one of many fillings like: rose or strawberry preserves, prune, apricot, liqueur, budyn (Polish pudding/blancmange), sweet curd cheese or chocolate. The dough is deep fried like a doughnut in deep oil until dark golden color and served covered with powdered sugar, icing sugar or chocolate. Also, oftentimes it is sprinkled with orange peel. Paczki, among the most traditional Polish desserts, they appeared in Poland during the time of King Augustus III of Poland (first half of 18th century). For a recipe, click here.

Where to get paczkis: 

Patch Editors Amanda Luevano and Lauren Williamson contributed to this report.


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