Singular Noun is Paczek (pohn-check)

Plural Noun is Paczki (punch-key)

Paczki (punch-key) Day is the feast of plenty before the Lenten fast begins. It is the last day of gaiety in Karnawal time, the period between Christmas and Lent. This is the time for sleigh parties called Kulig. To mark the last moments of excess before the austerity of Lenten sacrifice, Polish Roman Catholics celebrate Paczki Day.

On this day the traditional deep fried pastries (something like jelly doughnuts) are enjoyed throughout the world’s Polonias. This joyous activity precedes the Gorzkie Zale (lamentation services) of Lent in Polonian churches. In Poland, Paczki Day takes place the Thursday before Ash Wednesday, called Tlusty Czwartek (Fat Thursday). Long lines form in front of the bakeries in Polonia, and millions of Paczki are sold.

In United States Polonia, Paczki Day takes place the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, traditionally called Fat Tuesday in Carnival. Polish American bakeries also supply Paczki in the hundreds of thousands that day. Often in American Polonia, Paczki Day is celebrated with polka dances. In Roman Catholic grammar schools throughout American Polonia, children enjoy Paczki at school on that day.”

Source:OsoOno

To order paczki please use our printable PDF order form.

Cheese Kolaczy $14.50  – round cake,

sweet yeast dough, dry curd farmers

cheese filling, approx. 12inch diameter

Fruit Cake – $12.00 sweet dough with pieces of dried fruit, approx. 10inch long

Poppy Seed Roll – $14.50 approx. 14inch long

Mini Kolaczy – $12.00 for 12 pcs

Apple Cake – sheet cake filled with baked apples, crunchy top. Single serving 3”x 4” $4.00,  whole pan 9×13  $45.00

Cheese Cake – sheet cake made of sweet dry curd farmers cheese. Single serving 3”x 4” $4.00,  whole pan 9×13  $45.00

To order call our store at 412-281-2906 or email sales@sdpolishdeli.com.

Orders for bakery items must be placed by Dec 15, 2009

Www.sdpolishdeli.com

421-281-2906

2204 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh PA 15222

You are invited

Polish Christmas Event

Where : S&D Polish Deli , 2204 Penn Ave

When : Saturday, Dec 12

Time : 10.30 – 2.30

Complimentary Pierogi

and Kielbasy sampling

Live performance

Polish Christmas carols sang by

former member of Mazowsze group

Chance to place Christmas order

for Pierogi, Bakery items, Mushroom Soup

Kapusta and more

Come and enjoy Christmas spirit

In old fashioned Polish style

Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia! That is the way to say “Merry Christmas” in Polish. Among Poles, wherever they are, the most beloved and beautiful of all traditional festivities is that of Christmas Eve. It is then that the Wigilia, or Christmas Eve Dinner is served. It is a solemnly celebrated occasion and arouses deep feelings of kinship among family members.

For days in advance, Poles prepare the traditional foods and everyone anxiously awaits the moment when the first star, known as the Gwiazdka, appears in the eastern sky. For that is when the feast to commemorate the birth of the Christ Child begins.

There is always a thin layer of hay under the white tablecloth in memory of the Godchild in the manger. Before sitting down at the table, everyone breaks the traditional wafer, or Oplatek and exchanges good wishes for health, wealth and happiness in the New Year. This is such a deeply moving moment that often tears of love and joy are evoked from the family members who are breaking this symbolic bread. The Oplatek is a thin, unleavened wafer similar to the altar bread in the Roman Catholic Church. It is stamped with the figures of the Godchild, the blessed Mary, and the holy angels. The wafer is known as the bread of love and is often sent by mail to the absent members of the family.

The dinner itself differs from other evening meals in that the number of courses is fixed at seven, nine or eleven. According to myth, in no case must there be an odd number of people at the table, otherwise it is said that some of the feasters would not live to see another Christmas. A lighted candle in the windows symbolizes the hope that the Godchild, in the form of a stranger, may come to share the Wigilia and an extra place is set at the table for the unexpected guest. This belief stems from the ancient Polish adage, “A guest in the home is God in the home.”

The Wigilia is a meatless meal, no doubt the result of a long-time Church mandate that a strict fast and abstinence be observed on this day before Christmas. Although the Church laws have been revised and permit meat to be eaten on this day, the traditional meal remains meatless. Items that would normally be included in a traditional Wigilia menu include mushroom soup, boiled potatoes (kartofle), pickled herring (sledzie), fried fish, pierogi, beans and sauerkraut (groch i kapusta), a dried fruit compote, babka, platek, assorted pastries, nuts and candies.

After the meal the members of the family sing Polish Christmas Carols called the koledy while the children wait impatiently around the Christmas tree or choinka for the gifts to be exchanged.

Aside from the beautiful Wigilia, the Polish people have a number of other traditions that they practice throughout the Christmas season. Polish Christmas Carols or koledy are numerous and beautiful, especially when sung in Polish parishes at the Christmas Eve Mass. This Mass is called the Pasterka, which means the Shepherds Watch, and there is popular belief in Poland that while the congregation is praying, peace descends on the snow-clad, sleeping earth and that during that holy night, the humble companions of men – the domestic animals – assume voices. But only the innocent of heart may hear them.

Christmas Day itself is spent in rest, prayer, and visits to various members of the family. In Poland, from Christmas Day until the twelfth night, boys trudge from village to village with
an illuminated star and a ranting King Herod among them to sing carols. Sometimes, they penetrate the towns in expectation of more generous gifts. In some districts, the boys carry on puppet shows called szopka. These are built like a little house with two towers, open in the front where a small crib is set.

During the Christmas season, the theaters give special performances. On the feast of the Epiphany, the priest and the organist visit the homes, bless them and write over their doors the initials of the three wise men – KMB (Kasper, Melchior and Balthazar) – in the belief that this will spare the homes from misfortune.
The Christmas season closes on February 2, known as Candlemass Day. On that day, people carry candles to church and have them blessed for use in their homes during storms, sickness and death.
Wesolych Swiat, Bozego Narodzenia i Szczesliwego Nowego Roku!

Source: Polishamericancenter

You’d hardly guess it by looking at the local culinary scene, which is dominated by Italian, Mediterranean and Asian fare (not that Munch is complaining).

S&D Polish Deli is at 2204 Penn Ave., Strip District. Call 412-281-2906 or visit sdpolishdeli.com for more information.

Perhaps it’s because Polish food is simpler, a bit heavy and a tad inelegant — pierogis and haluski do not exactly scream “hot date” the way, say, tapas and sangria do — or perhaps because so much of this gastronomic tradition is still kept alive in Gram’s kitchen and church basements.

After all, why eat it out when you can get it better at home?

As a pure Heinz 57 Pittsburgher, Munch claims no favorites among ethnic dishes, except for one: more. And that’s exactly what this Baghead-American got at the S&D Polish Deli in the Strip District. More. More! Dalszy!

The clean little storefront done up in its home nation’s traditional red and white is an excellent addition to the United Nations of food that exists on Penn and Smallman. Run by a married couple from Wocawek in central Poland, it has to be the only place in Pennsylvania that you’ll hear Polish reggae on the stereo, and it’s a one-stop shop for everything from Polish shampoo to Polish ketchup imported from the motherland, as well as some truly excellent traditional Polish fare.

Let’s start with the pierogis, as Munch and Roommate of Munch (ROM) did; $4 gets you a plate of four of the finest pierogis you’ll eat this side of Krakow. We mowed through two plates, trying the potato & cheddar, kraut & mushroom and farmer’s cheese — a sweet dry-curd Polish white cheese called Twarog. Each one was better than the last, perfectly buttered warm gobs of goodness in a thin soft dough shell.

If there is such a thing as dessert pierogis, S&D offers them as well ­– fruit pierogis filled with whole pitted fruit and served plain or with sour cream and sugar. But Munch and ROM were just warming up to gorge on the main courses.

All manner of dishes from Stroganoff ($6.50), to Golabki ($2.50) to Borscht and Kielbasa ($5) beckon your belly.

Munch opted for the Hunter’s Stew or Bigos, a traditional Polish dish of cabbage and kraut cooked with pieces of smoked meats and dried mushroom ($4.50). Impeccably seasoned, it was simply delicious.

ROM tried the Leczo, another soupy stew that’s said to have Hungarian origin, but is “very popular on Polish table” according to the menu. Green & red peppers, onions and tomatoes are sauteed with slices of Polish kielbasa ($5). ROM reported it to be an excellent cup of comfort on a cold day.

Feeling a bit peckish, Munch also wolfed down a plate of haluski ($3.50) — cabbage and noddles with a peppery seasoning, while ROM went for round two on the pierogis. Both were outstanding and filled us to the point that eating became an optional pursuit for three days following.

The only thing missing from this feast was beer (or vodka, more appropriately). Nonetheless, Munch offers a hearty Na Zdrowie! to the S&D Polish Deli.

Dough: Mix flour, eggs, sour cream, salt, and water, a little at a time. Knead dough until firm and elastic; Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Potato Filling: Prepare potatoes, set aside. Cheese Flling: Combine ingredients and mix. Sauce: Saute onion in butter until golden. Assembly: Divide dough into three parts. On a floured surface roll dough to about 1/8-inch thick; cut into 3-inch rounds. Place a small spoonful of the filling in the center of each round, fold and press the edges together firmly to seal. Drop the pierogi in simmering chicken bouillon with 1 teaspoon of oil. Do not crowd. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well. Place the drained pierogi in a casserole and pour sauce mixture over all. Garnish with mushrooms.