On the last Thursday before Lent, 52 days before Easter, Fat Thursday is traditionally observed. According to BNP Paribas analysts, a statistical Pole eats 2.5 doughnuts on this day, which translates into nearly 100 million pastries eaten and 34 billion kilocalories consumed across Poland.

As the superstition says, whoever does not eat a single doughnut on Fat Thursday will have no luck. Polish tables also often host faworki (angel wings), also known as chrusty.

It takes about 2.5 thousand tonnes of wheat flour, 500 tonnes of sugar and butter, 1.3 million litres of milk and about 25 million eggs to produce one hundred million doughnuts.

The history of Fat Thursday dates back to ancient times. Back then, the Romans celebrated the arrival of spring during the so-called Fat Day. During this time, oily foods were eaten, and communal feasts were also held. A similar festival was also celebrated by the ancient Slavs. On this day, the departure of winter and the arrival of the warmer months was celebrated by eating high-fat foods, as well as doughnuts made from bread dough and filled with pork fat and having a party.

The tradition of eating doughnuts in sweet form did not appear in Poland until the 16th century. However, the sweet snacks eaten at that time were different from today. Doughnuts eaten centuries ago may have contained a small nut or almond. Finding it was supposed to ensure prosperity, happiness, and wealth.

“Fat holiday” is also celebrated outside Poland. Germans feast it similarly to Poles – on Thursday. Residents of the UK, USA, France, and Australia, however, eat pastries on Tuesday – the last day of the carnival before Ash Wednesday. The Scandinavian equivalent of Fat Thursday is celebrated on the last Sunday before Lent.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński