Happy Paczki Day! Now Go Find Yourself a Polish Donut

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Reuters

Today is Fat Tuesday, and what better way to indulge than with deliciously decadent Polish jelly donuts? (Warning: This post will make your mouth water.)

All across the country, people are making the most of Fat Tuesday by fulfilling their desire for doughy, sweet and succulent Polish donuts, known as Paczkis.

(More on NewsFeed: See the infamous hotel that’s now selling donuts.)

Paczki Day is a celebrated tradition in Polish communities, taking place each year on the day before the beginning of the Catholic fast of Lent. While Fat Tuesday is best known as the day of gluttonous over-indulgence, traditionally, Paczkis were cooked and consumed at this time because the ingredients — including lard, sugar, eggs and fruit — were forbidden to be consumed at all during Lent.

So what makes these treats so different from the average donuts you can find at the corner bakery? We’re glad you asked. Paczkis are deep-fried pieces of dough filled with sweet fruit or custard filling and topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, icing or bits of orange zest. Each Paczki can pack up to 400 calories and 25 grams of fat, but for the thousands who will be devouring the treats today, the caloric count does not matter — all they’re thinking about is the explosion of gooey goodness on their taste buds.

(More on NewsFeed: See five donuts we hate)

NewsFeed has to admit that we can hardly contain our desire to try these baked treats. In fact, our Detroit transplant, Madison Gray, is all worked up all in a tizzy over his hunger for a Paczki, and honestly, it’s contaminating the newsroom. So if anyone out there in the World Wide Web can give some insight into where we can find Paczkis in New York City, we would be very much obliged. Because after this post, Dunkin’ Donuts just isn’t going to cut it. (via the Flint Journal)

(More on TIME.com: “On Paczki Day, Everyone is Polish.”)