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Fat Tuesday traditions in Hamtramck, featuring the P?czki Bomb

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff

Published March 5, 2019 at 5:33 PM EST

Close up of line outside of New Palace Bakery in Hamtramck

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Dozens of customers lined up outside of the New Palace Bakery in Hamtramck to pick up a batch (or two) of these Mardi Gras treats.

Razi Jafri

Line outside of New Palace Bakery in Hamtramck

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“You can’t beat this p?czki. That is why we’re standing [outside]. Usually we call them in, we forgot this year,” one New Palace Bakery patron said. “[We] try to get only one dozen and come out with two.”";s:3:"uri";s

Razi Jafri

Mike Mouyianis, co-owner of Small’s, a bar and music club on Conant Street in Hamtramck.

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Mike Mouyianis (pictured) of Small's bar is the creator of the “p?czki bomb.” “We have a few different flavors. I do custard, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, and apple. But ours are infused with vanilla vodka,” Mouyianis said. ";s:3:"ur

Razi Jafri

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So how many p?czki bombs would you have to eat before you need an Uber? “The dough kind of counteracts it,” Mouyianis said. “You really can’t have more than three or four probably. But there’s a full shot in each one.”";s:3:"uri";s

Razi Jafri

Photo of three smiling patrons at Small's

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Mouyianis started out using full-size p?czki but those “soaked up too much booze.” Now he serves half-size ones. “It’s more like a two-biter thing. You suck out the insides basically with a straw, take two bites, and you get a bit of booze and sugar."";s:3:"ur

Razi Jafri

Today, New Orleans is celebrating Fat Tuesday, also known as "Mardi Gras" in French. It's the last day before Ash Wednesday and the forty days of Lent, when many observers give up certain indulgences in anticipation of Easter Sunday.

In Metro Detroit, it's P?czki Day. P?czki — singular "p?czek" — go back to the Middle Ages, when people in Poland would clear their homes of lard, sugar, and other decadent ingredients by making fried donuts filled with sweet jams or creams.

Stateside's Razi Jafri spoke to customers lined up outside of the New Palace Bakery in Hamtramck who were waiting patiently to pick up their very own batch of p?czki.

Then he headed over to another Hamtramck establishment that offers its own take on p?czki with a boozy twist.

Mike Mouyianis is the co-owner of Small’s, a bar and music club on Conant Street in the heart of Hamtramck. He’s also the creator of the “p?czki bomb," a miniature p?czki with an alcohol-infused filling.

Check out the slideshow and audio above to learn more about this unique Mardi Gras treat.

This post was written by Stateside production assistant Isabella Isaacs-Thomas.

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