Pączki Day: Filled with Memories of Loved Ones

Pączki Day!

Sweet, Bready, and Full Fat

Food holds a powerful connection to memory and the passage of time for me. Today's food of note is of course the Pączki, a pillowy Polish yeast doughnut jammed with fruit and cream fillings. Every year on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, this special treat reminds me of family close and far away.

Now that I've graduated and settled in the Western Suburbs of Chicago, I'm taking note of the food traditions around me and how they mark seasonal memories and connect me to the past.

Shrove Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, or Pączki Day; the day before Ash Wednesday is celebrated by catholic folk in different ways according to their cultural traditions, but most focus on savoring the joys of the physical world before Lent when those things will be set aside to reflect on spiritual matters.

Pączki were brought to Cook County by Polish immigrants who found a genius way to use up expensive baking ingredient before the season of fasting and the rich food was adopted by other bakeries and locals who were eager to indulge.

Juan and I are especially lucky to be connected to Pączki through his family bakery, and their Facebook post inspired today's doodle and blog post.

My life didn't include this tradition until recently, but I have many loving memories of enjoying cream puffs in the summer with my family that are brought up when I enjoy any cream filled pastry like Pączki. The powder sugar covered choux pastry of a cream puff with fresh whipped cream and strawberry filling evokes the same sense of sweet luxury in my mind.

I grew up craving summer time when my Wisconsinite parents would drive our family up out of Illinois north to their state fair and we'd each get our own face-sized cream puff. Now I buy a tub of the frozen mini-chocolate covered cream puffs from the Jewel-Osco when I want to be reminded of family.

These are rich treats and in a way the responsible part of me knows its a good thing these foods are for special occasions, but the romantic part of me loves that they mark a seasonal shift from event to memory and how our cultures plan to share our resources.

May you enjoy the memory of loved ones today as you indulge in life and sweet bread, and tomorrow as you sneak in a leftover Pączki for breakfast ❤