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Paczki Day offers a tasty twist on Fat Tuesday for Houstonians
Paczki is like a jelly doughnut, on steroids, traditionally made to use up all lard, sugar, eggs, and fruit in the house, before Lent. The Polish Food Store, on Blalock, is the only place in the city that makes it!
HOUSTON - On Fat Tuesday, while many people are celebrating the end of Mardi Gras, there are some who are marking the day with a bakery delicacy, that's hard to find in Houston.
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Paczki is like a jelly doughnut, on steroids, traditionally made to use up all lard, sugar, eggs, and fruit in the house, before Lent.
A bakery sales donuts a day ahead of Fat Thursday showing 'Paczki' - fist-sized donuts filled with marmalade. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Polish Food Store, on Blalock, is the only place, in the city, that makes paczki. On Fat Tuesday, there is a steady stream of people excited and anxious for a taste.
"In the Polish community, we have the paczki, which are very traditional Polish donuts; a very yeasty donut, and when they're warm, they're super delicious," says the Polish Food Store's Sharon Szpac.
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It's a lot of love for paczki, in Houston's small Polish community, and people who grew up in communities with large Polish populations, find this little store offering the traditional taste of the season.
"You can't go through Fat Tuesday without getting paczki," says Helene Dickerson, who grew up near Detroit.
Ryan Dornberger, who's from Milwaukee, was also in line, "I will take six boxes of 6, that would be great!"
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Between last week's Polish observance of Fat Thursday, and the more popular Fat Tuesday, the kitchen will make thousands of paczki.
Into the middle of the sweet, fried dough goes traditional flavors like plum butter, rosehip jam, lemon, and sometimes custard. Then, they're glazed or dusted with powdered sugar, and set out for eager customers.
Michigan native Chris Niermann was excited to find the pastry when he walked in the front door,
"I'm looking for paczki, today!" he said. "I don't care what flavor, I just want 'em. They bring back good times of family, home, on Fat Tuesday."
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Dornerger, meantime, is sharing some with his office, "I've been telling all of the secretaries in the office, Fat Tuesday is 'Paczki Day'. You gotta get 'em, and everybody's excited for them."
When the Fat Tuesday supply of paczki is gone, Lent will come and the bakery will take a paczki break for the year.
For those who may have missed an opportunity to sample, mark your calendar, the paczki will be waiting next year.