Paczki Keep Evolving As Demand Grows

The Polish jelly donuts are a must-eat treat on Fat Tuesday in the Midwest and beyond

Three great eating times are coalescing this week. Muslims are observing Ramadan, which involves fasting from sundown to sunrise, with substantial dinners and breakfasts in between.

Tuesday is Mardi Gras Day, also known as Fat Tuesday and Shrove Tuesday. In New Orleans, it’s the last day to eat King Cake. In England, it’s pancake day and elsewhere, it’s a time to consume meat before Lenten fasts begin.

In the Midwest, Tuesday is Paczki Day. Originally a Polish jelly donut, paczki (pronounced poonch-key) have evolved into dozens of flavors and types of cuisine. This year, it seems like bakeries were putting paczki on sale and taking orders earlier than usual. (The chocolate ones are from The Boro in Ann Arbor, Mich., and the pink ones from Heritage Bakery in Livonia.)

There is paczki beer, paczki burgers and specialty paczki. New Palace Bakery in Hamtramck, Mich., is Paczki Central on Fat Tuesday. People line up for hours to be there when the bakery opens at 3 a.m.