Fat Thursday in Poland - Tłusty Czwartek

Fat/Shrove Thursday (Tłusty Czwartek in Polish) is a religious tradition, and a very delicious one, which is celebrated by millions of Poles by going to their favourites bakeries.

Fat Thursday is celebrated once a year, on the last Thursday prior to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.

Originally, paczki and other sweets were made ahead of Lent to use up lard, sugar, eggs and fruit in the house, because it was forbidden to eat them during the upcoming period of fasting. So it became a common habit to hold gluttonous and entertaining holidays before Lent, and in Poland this means eating Polish donuts and other sweets until you're stuffed.

What food is mostly consumed on Fat Thursday?

In general, all types of sweet and fatty foods are devoured all over Poland on Fat Thursday, but the two most popular are Pączki and Faworki. What are they?

Pączki (Polish doughnuts)

Put simply – pączki (singular – pączek) are a Polish version of the doughnut and are the most widely and commonly consumed food on Fat Thursday. The most traditional pączki are filled with rose flavoured jam, but many varieties exist. These scrumptious little doughnuts can be filled with chocolate, raspberry jam, or custard and can be topped with icing, sugar, or almonds. It is 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 Warsaw and major Polish cities give pączki away as presents to staff, meaning you will have no easy way to avoid seeing them. It’s a national phenomenon.

Doughnuts are believed to bring happiness, and refusing to eat them is considered not only rude, but also unlucky.

Other Polish paczki saying are equally as concerning: "If you don't eat at least one doughnut on Fat Thursday, you will no longer be successful in life."

Faworki (Angel Wings)

The second special treat of a typical Fat Thursday are faworki. These are sometimes referred to as angel wings. They are delightful little crisps of pastry which 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.

Some useful polish words for this occasion:

• Tłusty Czwartek — Fat Thursday
• cukiernia — confectionary store
• cukier puder — castor sugar
• faworki — Angel wings
• lukier — icing
• objadać się — stuff oneself
• pączek — doughnut
• pączek z dżemem różanym — doughnut with rose jam
• święto ruchome — moveable feast
• smażyć na głębokim tłuszczu — deep fry
• kaloria — calorie
• Wielki Post — Lent
• smakołyk — goody