Faworki

Faworki are thin, ribbon-shaped fried pastries eaten during Carnival in Poland. A slit is cut in the center, one end is pulled through it to form a twist, and the pastries are fried in oil. The thin dough, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar, has a light, crisp texture that snaps when bitten.

Beating the dough and rolling it thin

Wheat flour is combined with eggs, cream and other ingredients to form a dough, which is rolled out thin and cut into strips. A slit is made in the center, and one end is passed through it once to create a twisted shape. When fried in hot fat, the surface develops small bubbles, and the pastries are finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.

In the method from the Kujawy region presented by the Polish Ministry of Agriculture, the dough is beaten with a rolling pin to work air into it and make it elastic. It is then rolled out as thinly as possible without using too much flour for dusting. This gives the pastries a delicate, crisp bite unlike that of thick sweet breads.

Until the last day of Carnival

Also known as chrust or chruściki, they are eaten on Fat Thursday, near the end of Carnival, and during the last days before Lent begins. A Silesian record presented by the Ministry of Agriculture describes a custom of serving coffee, faworki and the fried pastries called kreple to relatives and acquaintances who came to offer New Year greetings.

In the Kociewie region in the north, a similar pastry is called grochowinki. These small, somewhat irregular pastries are made with eggs, cream and wheat flour and fried in lard. The names and shapes vary from place to place, but in every case the pastries are made in winter before Lent, and people share them as a treat.

In old cookbooks, too

A Polish culinary heritage resource notes that a cookbook from 1783 describes crisp fried pastries. According to the same resource, a cookbook from 1856 gives a method in which the dough is rolled out as thin as noodle dough, cut into narrow strips, and the ends are passed through a slit. After frying, the pastries are finished with sugar and cinnamon.

The name “faworki” is said to come from a French word for thin decorative ribbons. The shape of the twisted strips calls that name to mind.

Glossary