It started around 8 years ago, every time Mrs. Large heard someone on tv or the radio mispronounce Paczki, she would yell out "POANNCHKEE!".

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I'd take her advice if I were you, especially if you say it like "PUNCH-Kee", or worse, "POONCH-Kee". If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, let me back up. Paczki are filled donuts that originated in Poland during the Middle Ages (5th-15th Century). Paczki are deep-fried pieces of dough, that are filled with a sweet fruit or cream, and covered in a glaze or powdered sugar.

In Poland, Paczki are traditionally eaten on Fat Thursday, the last Thursday prior to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. In North America, Fat Tuesday is known as Paczki Day in large cities with big Polish communities. Ansonia celebrates Paczki Day with an annual Paczki eating contest, last year's winner devoured 11 1/2 of them.

So, anyway, back to how you correctly pronounce the word. Here's a video that I found that will help:

It's also important to tell you that paczki is the plural term, a singular donut is called paczek, which is pronounced "Poanchek".

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