The ‘paczki’, a no-hole, denser and richer version of the doughnut, have exploded in popularity in recent years far beyond Chicago’s large Polish community to a growing number of high-end, speciality doughnut shops, bakers and food experts say.
Paczki (pronounced “ponchkey” for several and “ponchek” for one), also popular in other Midwest cities like Detroit and Cleveland, differ from North American bismarcks in having an especially rich dough, with eggs, butter, alcohol and sometimes milk.
The dense deep-fried pastries, which do not flatten as they are eaten, date back to the Middle Ages when people tried to use up ingredients that are avoided during Lent.