Donut, Cake, or Something Else?
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Food on Monday, March 07, 2011 10:09 PM
I’ve got one item on my to-do list before bed tonight: mix up the dough for tomorrow’s faschnachts. Faschnachts are a tradition in my family, from my mother’s German heritage. Every year on Fat Tuesday, she’d fry up a big batch and we’d rush home from school to get some, excited for one last indulgence before Lent.
In the area where I grew up, there are many more people with Polish heritage than German, so pączki are the common Fat Tuesday treat. I never had a pączki until I was in school, and they’re richer than faschnachts, so I have a slight preference for the German doughnuts… but pączki are still pretty tasty.
There’s also the king cake, which apparently is part of the Christmas and Epiphany celebrations in many areas of Europe, but is also an essential treat in the New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration. I only learned about king cakes a few years ago, and I have yet to try one. It seems like there lots of variations, but they all sound delicious!
I’m sure there are many other Fat Tuesday indulgences with which I’m unfamiliar. Enlighten me! What’s your traditional treat before Lent begins? Or what’s your favorite? Do you eschew fried or baked foods in favor of something completely different? (I’m thinking bacon… but I guess that’s fried, too.) (Maybe a big, juicy steak?)
Let’s talk treats while we can still eat them!
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