Fat Tuesday: The Many Different Doughnuts Of Mardi Gras

NPR | OPB
By Emily Hilliard

The history of doughnuts is intrinsically linked to the celebration of Mardi Gras. “Fat Tuesday” — the Christian day of revelry and indulgence before the austere season of Lent — features dough deep-fried in fat as its main staple. Originating in the medieval era, most Christian European traditions have developed a version of fried dough for Shrove Tuesday (another name for the day before Lent starts). No matter which you chose, celebrate next Tuesday the way it’s supposed to be — with a hearty helping of dough and fat. [link]

• In Poland and Polish communities in the United States, such as in the Midwest, Fat Tuesday is given another name — “Paczki Day.” 
• Portuguese malasadas, also enjoyed on Shrove Tuesday, or “Malasada Day,” were another such confection. The raised doughnuts were brought to Hawaii by sugar plantation workers in the late 1800s. 
• The German take on pre-Lenten doughnuts are called fastnachts (or fasnachts), bearing the same name as the traditional Carnival celebration, which translates as “fast night.” 
• Beignets are the most widely known Mardi Gras doughnut. The recipe for the light and eggy pillows of fried dough was brought to Louisiana when French Acadians were deported there in the 18th century. 
• But there is another, lesser-known Carnival doughnut in New Orleans — calas. Sweet, fried rice dumplings, calas originate from the West African enslaved people who were brought to the area in the late 1700s. The recipe was passed on among Catholic African-American families who served them at Mardi Gras and other celebrations, and they’re making a comeback in New Orleans restaurants, where they’re offered as both savory and sweet dishes.
• Italy has two pre-Lenten fried confections: Both castagnoles, fried cake puffs soaked in liqueur, and cenci (also called frappe), crispy strips of fried pastry similar to funnel cake, are enjoyed during Carnevale.