The annual Carnival debate rages: pączki offer rich, fulfilling indulgence, while faworki deliver light, crispy perfection.
The Duel: Substance vs. Lightness
Pączki and faworki are a Carnival duo that returns to the ring yearly—especially around Fat Thursday—and each time pretends this time we’ll finally resolve what’s better. Yet this duel holds two truths simultaneously: the pączek can be king of substance, while the faworek is master of lightness and crunch.
Pączki: The King of Concrete
A pączek is like a firm handshake: it must be soft, firm, and with a discernible “core.” Its greatest strength is the filling—rose, custard, chocolate, jam, cream, and in modern versions even pistachio or salted caramel. The faworek may be dusted with sugar, but let’s be honest—the filling creates the “wow” effect from the first bite.
Furthermore, the pączek wins in puffiness. Good yeast dough is springy, neither spongy nor doughy. In practice, this means a pączek can be both soft and “meaty,” giving a sense of eating something substantial, not just a fleeting crunch.
Faworki: The Master of Dynamism
The faworek (or chrust) is instead a master of dynamism. There’s no time for long consideration—there’s a crunch, lightness, and powdered sugar that vanishes from fingers only after the third wash. It’s a sweetness more “with coffee” than “instead of a meal.” And herein lies its advantage: faworki allow for prolonged eating, in small amounts, without the feeling of having consumed a dessert of significant weight.
The faworek also has a great social trait: it’s easy to share. A pączek is an individual—a single specimen demanding full attention. Faworki can be placed on the table, and suddenly “just trying one” has a very elastic definition.
The Texture Contrast
A pączek can be brilliant, yet it’s predictable: soft and sweet. The faworek plays with contrast—thin layers, bubbles, crispness, sometimes a minimal “stretch” of dough. It’s a sweetness that “pops” more than it “envelops.”
The Flaws
A pączek can be capricious. A bad pączek is a fatty gum with filling that either escapes or pretends it doesn’t exist. There’s also the classic: the filling shifts sideways at the first bite, and the icing lands on your sleeve, not the pastry.
The faworek has its own sins. It can be dry, too hard, or crumble so much that half the plate looks like a construction site. Powdered sugar is charming until it starts a life of its own on a dark sweater. And one more thing: faworki disappear faster than one can decide “that’s enough.”
When to Choose Which
When it comes to a dessert “with history”—the pączek has the edge. It’s a choice fit for celebration: one piece, a specific flavor, full focus. When coffee, conversation, and a light snack without grand declarations are planned—faworki fit right in.
The most honest verdict is often the simplest: a pączek to start, faworki “for seconds.” Because the pączek provides satisfaction, while the faworek leaves a pleasant feeling that one more can be taken—and no one has to pretend it’s the last.
