Food you shouldn't miss to eat during Fat Thursday in Poland

Did you know that there is a festive celebration called "Fat Thursday" (Polish: Tłusty Czwartek) before Ash Wednesday in Poland?

Fat Thursday will be celebrated on February 11th this year. Traditionally, it was linked to the last opportunity for feasting before Lent. Lent is is a solemn religious observance in the Christian liturgical calendar that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends approximately six weeks later, before Easter Sunday. During Fat Thursday, people would meet their friends and relatives and eat large quantities of sweets, cakes, and other meals that usually not eaten during Lent. Among the most popular all-national dishes served on that day, you should not miss your chance to enjoy pączki and faworki.

Pączki (Polish doughnuts)

Pączki (singular – pączek) are a Polish version of the doughnut, known as the most widely and commonly consumed food during Fat Thursday. The most traditional pączki are filled with rose-flavoured jam, but many varieties exist. Besides rose-flavoured jam, the doughnuts can also be filled with chocolate, raspberry jam, or custard and can be topped with icing, sugar, or almonds. One said that you will have bad luck for an entire year if you do not eat at least one pączek on this day! On Fat Thursday, many big businesses in major Polish cities give pączki away as presents to staff, which means it’s a national phenomenon.

Faworki (Angel Wings)

The second special treat of a typical Fat Thursday are faworki. Visually, people interpreted the food as angel wings. They are delightful little crisps of pastry that have been fried and turned into twisted ribbon shapes. Faworki are sprinkled with powdered sugar and purchased normally in a large box before being placed in a bowl to share.

Where can you buy these foods?

Since it is a nationwide festival all over Poland, you can find it in almost every bakery and grocery store! In a famous bakery store, you can see a long queue of people wanting to buy pączki. You can also expect a big promotion coming from a grocery store the following day. As they stock a great amount of fresh pączki, they usually come up with 50-70% of the reduced price to finish their stock the following day.

Make sure you try these two typical Polish treats if you are in Poland on Fat Thursday!

Photo: Elisheva Gohar via Unsplash.com, Beata Lipov via https://lawendowy-dom.com.pl/