Paczki is a popular treat on Fat Tuesday in Chicago

CHICAGO, March 4 (UPI) -- In celebration of Fat Tuesday, many Chicagoans choose to truly embrace the name of the day by turning to a Polish pastry called paczki.

A deep-fried, doughnut-like treat that comes in a variety of fruit and cream flavors and is often glazed in sugar, paczki will be what many office workers choose to eat on the holiday. “I have a tendency to bring in baked goods anyway,” Paula Sandrik told the Chicago Sun-Times. She is in charge of getting paczki for Ace Hardware’s corporate office and planned to spend about $200 to get enough for everyone to enjoy.

Weber’s Bakery takes orders for the holiday food months in advance and Rebecca Weber said her establishment received an order for 37 dozen paczki this year. People who don’t pre-order start lining up by 3 a.m. to get their paczki because they are served on a first-come, first-served basis.

“We’ll have everything available in the store, but depending on how crowded, they can run out pretty quickly,” Weber said. “It’s a strange day, but people really get into it.”

[Chicago Sun-Times]