It's Packzi Day In Ohio: How Do You Celebrate?

CLEVELAND — Packzi Day is a Midwestern staple and thousands of Ohioans will indulge their sweet tooth on Tuesday. The holiday traces its roots to Polish tradition and will mark the coming of Lent for Christians.

Paczki are a Polish dish. They are deep fried donuts, typically filled with cream or fruit and topped in powdered sugar. Consuming paczkis on Fat Tuesday started during the medieval age, according to Michigan State University. Polish families would use up their eggs, butter and sugar before abstaining from such foods during Lent.

The tradition continued in the U.S. at the onset of the 1900s. Immigrant families in the Midwest — namely Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Buffalo and Baltimore — would buy paczki from Polish bakeries on Fat Tuesday, according to Michigan State University.

While cities like New Orleans celebrate Mardi Gras and other towns revel in traditional Fat Tuesday parties, many Midwestern residents will chow down on paczki.

In Northeast Ohio, several grocery chains and bakeries offer paczki for sale, including Rudy's Strudel and Bakery, Stan's Northfield Bakery, Brewnuts and more. Giant Eagle typically offers boxes of paczki for purchase.

Tell us in the comments what your favorite packzi bakery is and how you commemorate the holiday.