Paczkis Put the 'Fat' in Fat Tuesday

On Fat Tuesday, the last day of revelry and indulgence before Lent, many Polish Americans celebrate Paczki Day. The centerpiece of the day is the paczki (pronounced "ponch-key"), an incredibly rich and caloric take on the doughnut designed to use up the last of the lard, sugar and eggs in the household before the fasting of Lent begins.

Even if most modern celebrators are buying them instead of making their own at home, paczkis pack in all those ingredients in heart-stopping quantities.

A typical paczki contains approximately 400 calories and at least 25 grams of fat -- roughly equivalent to a double cheeseburger at McDonald's . One Michigan bakery, Robaire Bakery and Doughnut Shop, reported going through more than 300 dozen eggs, 50 gallons of milk and ''many'' pounds of butter in preparation for Paczki Day.

In fitness terms, for every paczki eaten you'd have to put in one high-impact aerobic session or walk two miles in 30 minutes .

Another Michigan bakery, Patisserie , offers paczkis that are baked instead of fried , which cuts the calories by about half. Patisserie says that many of their customers come specifically for the lower-calorie version, though their take on the tradition is the result of necessity rather than health consciousness: Patisserie has no deep fryers.

- See a paczki recipe at Recipezaar.