If St. Patrick’s Day is the day when all are Irish, then Fat Tuesday is when all are Polish in Detroit. This morning, the line for New Palace Bakery will wind around Hamtramck with customers anxious to get their fresh pączki and be the favorite employee at work. After finishing off our pączki, we all will regret the calories, but there is no question we will take part in this delicacy again next year. Whether you are a pączki newbie or a pączki faithful, read on to learn a thing or two about this tasty treat.

New Palace Bakery in Hamtramck.

New Palace Bakery in Hamtramck.

  1. There are no such things as pączkis. Pączki is already plural. In English, we tend to use pączki as both the singular and plural noun. In Polish, the singular is pączek (PON-check) and the plural is pączki (POON-shkee).
  2. Pączki are traditionally eaten prior to Ash Wednesday, typically on Fat Tuesday or Thursday. Prior Catholic fasting practices during the Lenten season, forbade consumption of lard, sugar, eggs, and fruit, so pączki were made to use up all the rich ingredients in the house. (Not so hard to see how they quickly become upwards of 500 calories)
  3. Pączki were traditionally filled with rose hip jam or plum (though some swear by prune) and then dusted with powder sugar. Now you can get all sorts of flavors. My favorites? Raspberry, strawberry, and custard. My wildcard? New Palace’s Presidential-a cherry filled pączek with a chocolate glaze on top.
  4. They are best enjoyed the same they day they are made. While some pączki veterans may be offended by any comparison of a pączek to a jelly donut, when it comes to time frame for eating-the same logic applies-donut are great, but who likes a stale one?
  5. A pączek is different than a jelly donut. Speaking of comparing a pączek to a donut….for one pączki are usually even richer than a donut. The dough of pączki manages to be fluffier than a donut, yet still very dense.
  6. Hamtramck does, in fact, have a pączek mascot. I wonder how he would do in the Capitol One mascot competition. He did run a 5k this past Saturday….
My Mom and I with our pąckzi after the Pąckzi Run 5K this Saturday around Hamtramck.

My Mom and I with our pąckzi after the Pąckzi Run 5K this Saturday around Hamtramck.