Anyone else "celebrate" Fastnacht Day?
It's kind of a big thing here in rural Pennsylvania where I live, at least regarding the fastnacht donuts themselves. Local bakeries and grocery stores sell tons of them days before, and the day of (today).
If you have no clue what a fastnacht is or what the day entails, read below:
Fastnacht Day is an annual Pennsylvania Dutch celebration that falls on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. The word translates to "Fast Night" in English. The tradition is to eat the very best foods, which are part of the German tradition, and lots of it, before the Lenten fast. Fastnachts (pronounced fost-nokts in German) are doughnuts. There are three types of Fastnachts, one made with yeast, one made with baking powder, and one made with potatoes and yeast. All are slightly crispy on the outside and not as sweet as standard doughnuts.
Wife and I got a dozen fastnachts plain and a bag full of ones powdered in sugar. People eat them all different ways from plain to adding syrup, jelly, nutella etc.
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