Fastnacht Day!
Today is fastnacht day! Fastnachts are a Pennsylvania Dutch Shrove Tuesday tradition. We Lancaster Countians celebrate Shrove Tuesday by eating yeast raised potato doughnuts, which are lovingly known as “Fastnachts.”The name “Fastnacht” is German for “Fast Night.” Fastnacht Day is a day to forget about dieting and feast on doughnuts! It’s a custom that had its beginnings with the Plain People. Making Fastnachts helped to use up the fat and sugar they had on hand before the Lenten fast began.
Although doughnuts with holes are frequently sold as “Fastnachts” in supermarkets this time of year, those who know their doughnuts will tell you that a real Fastnacht should never have a hole in the center. And oh my goodness are they delicious! We had a dozen yesterday and 2 dozen today. Timothy was home over the weekend and went back to the seminary yesterday evening so he got to share in them, but today he called me in distress to tell me that he had searched every local grocery store and no one even knew what fastnachts were! It’s a PA Dutch treat that apparently isn’t common in not so distant Philadelphia. Poor kid.
Now please excuse my while I go have another fastnacht with my tea. . .
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