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Community Corner

It's Paczki Time! Here's Where to Get Them

With Fat Tuesday around the corner, Joe Hakim, aka Joe Foodie, offers Patch readers a preview of the places to go to get your paczki fix.

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 (pronounced 'poonch-ki') 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 the delivery of the Polish pastries was similar to Christmas morning. Paczki 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 keeping to Polish tradition.

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If you ask 10 people, you will get 10 different answers if you ask, “How many calories are in a paczek?” (Paczek is 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 some highlights:

  • : $1 per paczek or $11.99 per dozen.  Fillings include raspberry, strawberry, chocolate Bavarian cream, custard, and more.
  • : $.79 per paczek or $3.99 per half dozen. 

This is just a small sampling of places selling paczki around town. Call the bakery closest to you for prices and availability.

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