Paczi are traditional Polish donuts with fillings like rose and plum jam. They’re particularly popular on Fat Thursday the celebration before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of lent. A few years back I got a bad impression of Paczi after purchasing a couple from my local kielbasy shop. Upon opening the bag, we got a strong whiff of smoked meats. Venturing to take a bite it even tasted of kielbasy (though it was a jelly filling) . Needless to say we began to refer to them as meat donuts. After a friend posted about Paczi and how good they were, we decided to give it another shot. At Eagle Provisions, a Polish run grocery store they were selling both rose and plum (powidl) flavors for a buck each.

Given the aforementioned baggage my first bite was small. It tasted…like a donut. It took a few more bites to get to the filling. The rose flavor was actually delicious. It’s sweet and rich but doesn’t taste as fake as jelly donuts can. It’s a perfect match for the breadiness of the paczi. The plum was nice. The filling not unexpectedly tastes like prune jelly.

If you’re in an area with a Polish population, check out a few paczi. They’re only available for a few more days. Have you tried these donuts before?