Beignets are the most widely known Mardi Gras doughnut. The recipe for the light and eggy pillows of fried dough was brought to Louisiana when French Acadians were deported there in the 18th century. There are a number of sweet treats associated with the annual celebration of Mardi Gras. These include the donut-like French beignets, which have become synonymous with the city of New Orleans; the king cake, which is baked with a little doll inside representing baby Jesus; and the Mexican and Latin American Rosca De Reyes in honor of the Bible's three wise men or magi, which is a cross In place of cake or pastry flour used in traditional donuts, paczki use high-gluten flour and grain alcohol. Now, paczki does use yeast to help it rise, just like, wellyeast donuts. But cake donuts rely on baking soda or baking powder for a leavening agent. But despite these differences, both baked goods still use sugar, butter, eggs, and In the United States, Fat Tuesday, also known as Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras, and Pączki Day, is the day to indulge before Lent begins. However, Fat Thursday (the last Thursday before Lent) heralds the winding down of Carnival season, and that's when fried foods such as pączki are eaten with abandon in Poland, where it's known as Tłusty Stan's Donuts, multiple locations including 1560 N. Damen Ave., 28 E. Roosevelt Rd., 2800 N. Clark St. and 259 E. Erie St. Vanille Patisserie, Lincoln Park and West Loop Gate (Partnership with They are popular around Mardi Gras which simply means Fat Tuesday. Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday which is a day of preparation for the penitential season of Lent. Paczki are Polish deep-fried donuts that are filled with some sweet filling such as jam , custard, lemon curd or chocolate . Whether you call it Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday, this holiday is packed with signature foods. To say that pączki are merely jelly donuts is like saying the Sistine Chapel is a So ingenious cooks used up all their dairy and eggs during Fat Week, from Shrove Thursday to Shrove Tuesday, by making crepe-like pancakes, called nalysnyky in Ukraine (similar to Polish naleśniki), and doughnuts called pączki (POHNCH-kee) in Poland (they are spurgos in Lithuania and krofne in Serbia). Paczki can be fried or baked. Beignets are the most widely known Mardi Gras doughnut. The recipe for the light and eggy pillows of fried dough was brought to Louisiana when French Acadians were deported there in the 18th century. But there is another, lesser-known Carnival doughnut in New Orleans — calas. Sweet, fried rice dumplings, calas originate from the West African National Pączki Day is March 4, in 2025, which coincides with Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday (also known as “Mardi Gras“). This is a time for indulging in these fried Polish donuts, which are stuffed with jelly or cream and sprinkled with sugar, as a way to use up sugar, lard, and eggs before Lent begins. Upcoming Dates: March 4, 2025 In suburban Cleveland, Eastern European bakery Rudy's Strudel hosts a large indoor and outdoor Paczki Day party in conjunction with neighboring record store, The Current Year. It is called "the Mardi Gras of the Midwest". [20] In some areas, Pączki Day is celebrated with pączki-eating contests. [citation needed] KING CAKE RECIPES FOR MARDI GRAS. King Cake Bundt; King Cake Variations, From Peanut Butter Cookies to Yeast Rings; Savory King Cake Plus: Fusion Food. King Cake Challah; Recipes For A Mardi Gras Dinner RECIPES TO SERVE WITH KING CAKE. Mardi Gras Color Cocktails; Mardi Gras Dinner Menus; Mardi Gras Party; Milk Punch [5] A Mardi Gras challah. Cajun Jambalaya at Grace by Nia. ROBIN WINCHELL 2023. At Grace by Nia in Boston, indulge in a dish full of blackened jumbo shrimp, beef sausage, roasted chicken, crawfish, long grain rice A Mardi Gras treat fit for a king. Photo: Emily Hilliard/NPR. Post by Emily Hilliard, Kitchen Window at NPR Food (2/26/2014) Get recipes for Paczki, Fasnacht, Beignets and Cenci. The history of doughnuts is intrinsically linked to the celebration of Mardi Gras. King cake doughnuts from Ye Olde Donut Shoppe — not paczki but still yummy. Industrial Donut, Savoy: Not paczki, not king cake. BUT Industrial Donut will satisfy your Mardi Gras donut dreams again in 2025 by blinging up a half-dozen donuts, Mardi Gras style, for $14.99. By preorder only. Through this tradition, certain dishes and foods have become staples during the carnival season and for mardi gras in France. 1) Les Beignets de Mardi Gras (Mardi gras donuts) One very popular type of mardi gras food in France eaten during the carnival season are carnival donuts, “les beignets” (pronounced Lay-Ben-YAY) or beignets de The celebration of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, known for boundless revelry, balls, and parades, brings with it a quintessential glittering dessert: King Cake, a ring-shaped brioche-like confection, iced with bright purple, green, and gold frosting (symbolizing justice, faith, and power) and sprinkled with crunchy sugared pecans. These indulgent Fat Tuesday Polish donuts are called Paczki (pronounced "poonch-key" or "punch-key"). You'll see these jelly or custard filled polish donuts for 1 to 3 days tops just before Fat Tuesday each year. These Polish pastries are a beloved symbol of Mardi Gras, bringing joy and sweetness to the festivities. They’ll be available through Mardi Gras. They suggest calling ahead or stopping in early, as they do sell out. They stuff their paczki with lemon, blueberry, strawberry, custard, and a new chocolate flavor. Buckeye Donuts (Campus) The campus location will have paczki starting around noon on the Monday before and throughout the day of Mardi Gras! In the Midwest, we’re most familiar with Polish paczki (pronounced POONCH-key). While many places will serve up jelly donuts for Fat Tuesday, Laurel Burleson, owner of Ugly Apple Cafe, said a true paczek (the singular of paczki, pronounced POON-check) is richer and more dense than a traditional American-style donut.
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() |