Many people ask us what make Paczki different from other filled donuts. The answer is this: as a traditional preparation for Lent, many Catholics, primary polish, would use the remaining eggs, sugar, shortening and preserves in their pantry. With those ingredients they made paczki, which are like jelly filled donuts, but have a richer dough, due to the extra sugar, eggs and shortening.
Fat Tuesday, celebrated widely in Michigan and throughout the Mid-West with Paczki, while other areas like Louisiana celebrate with pastries known as King Cake.
