Chicago is home to one of the largest Polish populations in the United States, and along with its large population comes their delicious pastry called Paczki. These large jelly-filled doughnuts, pronounced ‘poonchki’ or ‘punchki’, are no ordinary doughnuts as they are much denser and heavier than anything you will find at your typical doughnut shop or grocery store. You can find these deep fried delicacies filled with blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, prune, lemon, apple, banana crème, key lime custard, cheese, coconut crème, whipped cream, chocolate custard and so on.
In Poland, paczkis are typically eaten on “Fat Thursday” during the week of ‘carnival’ before Lent. I heard that some 100 million paczkis were eaten by Poles last Thursday. Wow, that’s a huge spike in the calorie intake of Poland considering one paczki weighs about 70 grams and is loaded with nothing but fats and carbohydrates.
Here in Chicago, paczkis go on sale today and will peak tomorrow on “Fat Tuesday,” which is when they are typically eaten in large quantities. They’re so delicious that anyone of any ethnicity can enjoy them. Imagine the beautiful unity that is possible when all ethnic groups come together and sink their teeth into this heavenly/devilish pastry - now that would be the ultimate “paczki moment.”
So get an early jump on tomorrows mad rush and pick up a few dozen for yourself today. Here are some locations where they are available:
Delightful Pastries (Northwest side Chicago)
Bridgeport Bakery (South side Chicago)
Weber's Bakery (Southwest side Chicago)
Oak Mill Bakery (North side Chicago)
Alliance Bakery and Cafe (North side Chicago)
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