In Poland, initially, Fat Thursday was marked by feasting on fatty foods such as bacon, lard, sausages, and other meats, while doughnuts appeared in the form of heavy buns filled with cracklings or lard, considered more of a side dish than a dessert. These doughnuts were quite tough – legends say their consistency was so dense that they could injure someone if thrown. It wasn’t until the 16th century that sweet doughnuts, filled with preserves (e.g., rose jam) and sprinkled with sugar, began to be baked, leading to the creation of the doughnuts we know and love today.
Over the years, not only the recipe but also the availability of doughnuts changed. In the 19th century, deep-frying doughnuts was expensive, so the tradition of indulging in them was mostly reserved for the wealthier classes. In poorer homes, instead of frying, they baked dumplings. It wasn’t until the late 19th century, when frying doughnuts became more widespread, that Fat Thursday started to be celebrated in rural areas as well, in the form we recognize today. In addition to doughnuts, faworki, also known as chrust, crispy fried pastries sprinkled with powdered sugar, became popular and also became part of the Fat Thursday tradition.
Today, Fat Thursday is a time for doughnuts and faworki, and the tradition of indulgence before Lent has been observed in Poland for centuries. Every year, crowds of Poles eagerly buy doughnuts from bakeries, ignoring the calories, and share them with loved ones, continuing this beautiful tradition.
