Polish doughnuts “pączki” (singular “pączek”) are among the traditional Polish pastries, which are extremely popular in the country. Like in Czechia, doughnuts are most commonly round, but you can also find elongated ones, filled with various fillings, often topped with glaze or at least sprinkled with sugar. There are significantly more types of fillings in Poland.
The first mentions of these doughnuts date back to the Middle Ages, when they were prepared as part of the celebrations before the start of Lent. Traditionally, they were eaten especially on “Tłusty Czwartek” (Fat Thursday), which is the last Thursday before Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the 40-day fast before Easter. This day in Poland, just like in our country, is dedicated to the consumption of fatty and sweet foods before the fasting period. However, doughnuts were first eaten in Poland with a bacon filling, so they were savory. Sweet doughnuts only began to appear in Poland in the 16th century.
Among the most popular pączki fillings are rose jam, plum butter, various fruit marmalades, vanilla cream, chocolate cream, or flavored curd cheese. But there are literally dozens of types of fillings. If you want to try just one single filling of this traditional Polish sweet, try the rose jam.
Polish doughnuts are more expensive than Czech ones. A single pączek in a specialty store or bakery costs approximately 8 PLN (2 EUR). However, for your money, you get a much larger and tastier doughnut with a generous amount of filling inside.
Pączki are so popular in Poland that you can find specialty stores “pączkarnia” or bakeries where doughnuts are the main product. Due to their popularity and high sales, doughnuts are constantly being made fresh. It is not uncommon to receive a doughnut that is still warm.
Pączki are one of the treats worth trying in Poland. Doughnuts are popular in many other countries as well (for example, I’m thinking of Israeli sufganiyah), but the variety of fillings and their freshness make them an irresistible sweet in Poland for me.
Bon appétit!
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