Barbara Suchodolska
Barbara was born and raised in Poland. In 2006 she moved to the Netherlands for love. Although she feels completely at home in the Netherlands, she will always remain Polish inside. She now lives in Breda, which means that she can’t often go to Poland to celebrate holidays. One thing is certain: this does not stop her from eating a pączki on Tłusty Czwartek.
Tłusty Czwartek is celebrated on the Thursday before Ash Wednesday. On this day it is a tradition in Poland to eat well and to store fat for the fasting period to come. One of the important parts of this celebration is pączki. These are deep-fried dough balls filled with, for example, chocolate and eggnog or different types of jam.
Barbara is fond of a pączek filled with marmalade. Especially when her mother made it. The smell of fresh pączki and homemade rosehip marmalade still gives her a warm feeling inside. Memories of the past come to mind: her mother spent a full day in the kitchen each year making pączki for friends and family in the area, followed by a wonderful feast. It gives her a feeling of home.
Even now that she celebrates her party in the Netherlands, she looks for a pączek every year on Fat Thursday. Preferably from the Polish store or baked by herself. Preferably from the Polish shop or baked herself, but if that doesn’t work, she buys one from the supermarket. As long as it’s a pączek.