Community Corner
Where to Get Your Fat Tuesday Paczki Fix
Fat Tuesday is March 8. Of course, that means Paczki Day around here. Patch tells you where to find a box of these heavenly balls of dough.
For my entire precollege education I went to Catholic schools. Where I went doesn't matter, but what should be noted is the Catholic tradition of fasting during Lent, but feasting before.
Paczki have a special place in my heart. I'm not referring to the physical place in my arteries each cholesterol-laden dough ball calls home. The anticipation of delivery was similar to Christmas morning. Paczki (pronounced 'poonch-ki') were delivered to school by Hamtramck's Sweetheart Bakery.
We'd buy them by the dozen. Raspberry. Strawberry. Custard. Lemon. Prune.
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In grade school, eating three paczki in a sitting was nothing. Fat, sugar, flour and fruit, these were more than doughnuts. With Lent starting the next day, some vice (as much as a kid could have a vice) was to be given up. Candy? Cake? Soda? None for the next 40 days. Paczki day gave us a last chance to splurge.
Historically, Fat Tuesday (or Shrove Tuesday) was the day to use up all of the cooking fats that are forbidden during Lent. This means cooking paczki in lard is not only delicious, but also keeping to Polish tradition.
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If you ask 10 people, you will get 10 different answers if you ask them how many calories are in a pączek (the singular of paczki). Quite honestly, does it matter? If you're eating paczki, you're probably not counting calories anyway. Just sit back and enjoy the diet-destroying lusciousness.
It is more difficult to find a bakery that won't be offering paczki on March 8, so here are a couple local highlights:
- : One of the most unique paczki variations is served by Militello's. A punchatello is a paczek exterior filled with cannoli cream and dusted with powdered sugar. As if a paczek isn't rich enough, this really ramps it up. Fusion cuisine at its finest. $1.50 for one or $15.00 per dozen.
- : A traditional Polish bakery. If driving all the way down to Hamtramck seems overwhelming, just stop by Utica Heights.
If either one of these places is out of your range, try a local Kroger or Meijer. Never be afraid to ask if the paczki have been brought in or if they make them on-site.
