March 29, 2011 - 8:11pm
Don't Hold Back on Fat Tuesday (Like a Good Catholic)
BY JORDAN KRISTOPIK
The Polish Catholic is coming out in me again. No, I haven’t found a sudden interest in church as my family keeps expecting, nor have I started praying to all the saints. It is, of course, solely food related. Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday. And while many days of the week for me are “fat” based, I really plan on going all out tomorrow. You’ll find me devouring several Paczki (pronounced “Poonch-Kee”), the traditional Polish doughnut eaten the day before Lent begins.
The history of the Paczki is just as you would expect. Traditionally, they were made to use up all the lard, sugar, eggs and fruit in the house, because they were forbidden to be consumed due to Catholic fasting practices during Lent. They are essentially deep-fried pieces of dough shaped into a flattened sphere and filled with jam or other sweet filling. Paczki are usually covered with powdered sugar, icing or bits of dried orange zest. Plum and Wild Rose jam are traditional, but I love the custard-filled Paczki as well. Although it may sound like a doughnut, the Paczki dough is far more rich and dense. Be prepared.
So join me in my quest to fatten up. You could head to Hamtramck, where you could watch the Paczki Day Parade, and wait hours and hours outside bakeries in order to get a delicious, homemade Paczki. Or you could head to Copernicus Deli on Main St, which is where I will be heading tomorrow morning. Get there early, they open at 7am…they could all be gone by the end of the day. Just don’t buy them at a grocery store. Although they may be marked “Paczki,” they are nothing but an overpriced doughnut. The real thing is worth it, even if you’re like this Catholic, and may not give up anything for Lent at all. Just don’t tell my mom.
Copernicus Deli
617 S Main St
Ann Arbor, MI
(734) 222-9633
I’ll post picture of my delicious Paczki tomorrow…I can hardly wait!
