Local cafe flooded with orders for traditional Polish Fat Tuesday treat

PHOENIX - While many may call it Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, others refer to the last day before lent as Paczki Day.

Pronounced "poonch-ki," the filled and fattening doughnut is a traditional polish treat.

Arizonans who have moved here from the Midwest or East flock to one local spot to get the authentic version of this calorie packed pastry, the Europa Pastry Caf�.

Carl Makowski and his mother own the restaurant and you can tell by the polish being spoken by the people who work there and the customers, this is the real deal.

The paczki was traditionally made the day before lent so women could use up the sugar, butter and eggs that might go to waste during lent. Each contains 300 � 600 calories, but Carl says this is a day for indulgence.

At Europa they fill the doughnuts with lemon, apple cinnamon, cherry, custard, strawberry cream cheese, as well as the traditional fillings of prune and raspberry.

The team started baking at midnight and will be open to 5:30 p.m. They expect to make and sell about 3,000 paczkis on Tuesday.

Europa Pastry Caf� is located on 16th Street and Maryland Avenue in Phoenix.