Paczkis Tuesday

Today is Shrove Tuesday — Pancake Tuesday — Fat Tuesday or even Paczkis day. Whatever you call it, it’s the perfect excuse for some good old fashioned comfort food on a cold winters day.

Inside St. Joseph’s Bakery in St. Catharines it feels like a holiday. It’s Paczkis day. And for anybody who doesn’t know what a Paczkis is — it’s delicious and it’s jelly filled.

Derek Kedzierski works at St. Joseph’s Bakery. “It’s a very big deal. We find that business increases on the Paczkis by five or six times”

Early in the morning, St. Joseph’s made about 500 of these donuts. By noon some were sold out. About 400 calories in one.

“We always had them, every year. It’s a tradition.”

It’s a polish tradition.

“My Babcha always got them for us all the time. All the time.”

It’s a long standing tradition. Polish women would use up all the butter, cream, eggs and lard just before lent.

“We always knew it as Pancake Tuesday. But we have polish friends. Know it’s a polish tradition having the polish donut.”

You can still have pancakes. IHOP’s in Niagara Falls are serving up free pancakes all day for a donation to McMaster Children’s Hospital.

Last year on Shrove Tuesday, IHOP’s in the U.S. gave away 4 and half million pancakes.