Paczki are like donuts only much, much better. In Poland, people will queue for the cakey delights for hours. Here in Toronto, you just have to visit Granowska's!
It's Fat Thursday for Catholic Poles all over the world, and in Poland, that means it's time to enjoy one of that country's best loved treats- the paczki (pronounced ponch-key) before the rigours of Lent begin. Some see this as the ideal excuse to indulge in the plump, cakey, filled treats that in my humble estimation are much more refined and sophisticated than our North American donuts.
To mark "Tlusty Czwartek" (Fat Thursday) in Poland today, newswire stories have been reporting that some shops have 200+ person ques waiting to get into their bakeries to tuck into the deep fried orbs. Here in Toronto, in Roncesvalled (aka Little Poland), you can find some of the best around made by the caring hands of Elizabeth and her daughter Kathy Klodas at Granowska's Bakery and Cafe.
I love the plum filled variety (which Kathy tells me is handy in aiding the treat's digestion), while my husband always opts for Rosehip filled paczki, glazed and topped with a little square of candided orange rind. You can choose between glazed, plain, icing-sugar dusted, filled with sweet cheese or cherry- the varieties are as impressive as the soft, yielding interiors that unlike our donuts, are never cloyingly sweet. Perfect with a cup of herbal tea or your favourite coffee- it's a wonderful way to stave off the winter chill and reflect a moment or two about what you may want to give up for Lent. If it's sweets or paczkis, I suggest you do as they do in Poland and get your fill today!
