Fat Thursday is a real celebration for lovers of sweets and traditional flavours. It's a time when you can indulge in culinary excess without feeling guilty. At Wyraj we celebrate the day in an unconventional way – we draw inspiration from old Slavic customs and offer doughnuts you won't find anywhere else.
In 2025, Fat Thursday falls on 27 February. Wondering where the tradition of eating doughnuts on this day comes from? Read on 🙂
The history of doughnuts goes back to pre-Christian times. The Slavs celebrated the end of winter with lavish feasts, and filling, rich dishes graced their tables. Among them were the first doughnuts – with a crispy crust but a completely different filling from the one we know today: lard, bacon and sometimes even groats. They were meant to provide energy and strength before the coming fast.
Over the years doughnuts evolved – around the 16th century sweet versions appeared, dusted with icing sugar and filled with rose jam or plum butter.
In Poland, Fat Thursday is a day when sweet and rich treats rule the table. The most popular are, of course, doughnu?
Fat Thursday is a movable feast because its date depends on Easter, so it has its roots in Catholic tradition. It falls on the last Thursday before Ash Wednesday, which begins Lent. During this time, Christians, for religious and penitential reasons, should refrain from eating certain foods to prepare for Easter. Fat Thursday can fall between 29 January and 4 March.
Christians allow themselves one last day of culinary pleasure. During Lent, Catholics should fast and be moderate in eating and drinking, and refrain from lavish parties.
Fat Thursday is the last chance for a culinary spree and celebration before the coming period of reflection and self-denial. The tradition is deeply rooted in Polish culture, and the round shape of the doughnut comes from old times, when doughnuts were deep-fried in fat to make them fluffy and tasty.
Today's Fat Thursday is an echo of old customs. It's the last chance for a culinary spree before 40 days of fasting.
ts, homemade and dusted with icing sugar or glazed. The second iconic treat is faworki, also known regionally as chrust or chruściki. In different regions of the country you'll also find other traditional pastries, such as kreple, bliny, prażuchy, babałuchy or racuchy. In some homes, rich dishes such as bigos or cabbage soup are also prepared on Fat Thursday to celebrate this special day.
Polish Fat Thursday is a time when everyone can allow themselves a little culinary indulgence, enjoying homemade doughnuts and other traditional treats, whether made at home or bought from bakeries and restaurants.
Doughnuts filled with rose jam or plum butter are delicious, but at Wyraj we like to experiment, so for Fat Thursday we've prepared both classic and modern versions. Last year we introduced a doughnut filled with smoked carp and eel, with leek sauce, pickled kohlrabi and leek hay. Sounds extravagant? Perhaps, but our guests loved it! That's why this year we'll surprise you with a savoury option again.
On the menu you'll find two kinds of doughnuts:
Every savoury and sweet doughnut is a small work of art – a confection made from the highest-quality ingredients according to a carefully refined recipe. We fry them with great care to achieve a light, fluffy dough that will delight every food lover.
We won't reveal our doughnut recipe, but we can tell you why our doughnuts are so special. The secret is the right frying temperature, fresh yeast, well-heated oil and the highest-quality ingredients.
No time to visit the restaurant? No problem! On that day you can order our Slavic doughnuts to take away. It's the perfect chance to surprise others with their taste. Pick them up on your lunch break or after work. Each one costs PLN 15. Just call +48 570-010-570, reserve your portion and pick it up at the agreed time.
Collection in person at our restaurant at 59 Krochmalna Street.
Fat Thursday is celebrated in various countries around the world, although in slightly different ways. In Italy and Spain it is a day of great parties and carnival madness, when people have fun and eat traditional food. In Germany and France, Fat Thursday is a time when a variety of pastries and sweets appear on tables, just as in Poland. In the United States, although it is not so widely celebrated, you can come across the tradition of eating doughnuts and faworki, especially in Polish communities. Wherever you are, Fat Thursday is a day that brings people together in joy and celebration, allowing a moment of forgetfulness and culinary pleasure before the coming period of fasting.
The atmosphere of ancient feasts, aromatic cuisine inspired by Slavic traditions and surprising flavours – all this awaits you at Wyraj. And at the end of the feast, every guest will receive a small doughnut from us as a gift – a sweet finale to a meal together. Our doughnuts are made with the utmost care, and they taste best on the day they are fried, which gives them their lightness and texture.
Let Fat Thursday be a celebration you'll remember for a long time. See you at Wyraj!
Reservations and details:
e-mail: kontakt@wyraj.net
phone: +48 570010570
price: PLN 295 / person
Limited places – first come, first served!
We revive old
recipes and serve them
in a new form.
ul. Krochamlna 59/lok U2 . 00-864 Warszawa
