Bread of the dead, sweet pumpkin and more: the gastronomic tradition of the Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead It is a time of celebration for Mexicans. Although the date serves to remember those who are no longer there, it is not a sad event, on the contrary, colors, decorations, drinks and food prevail.

In 2003, UNESCO declared this festivity as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and, since that year, the celebration has crossed borders. Now it is very common to see catrinas, altars and bread of the dead in every corner of the world. Even in 2017, Disney dedicated one of its highest-grossing films to the Day of the Dead: “Coco.”

It is true that talking about the Day of the Dead encompasses many important topics, but in this note we will focus on the kitchen. To do this, we spoke with two Mexicans with many years of experience in the gastronomic field: Marlin Vargas de Sosa, dedicated to the traditional Mexican bakery and member of the Association of Mexican Ladies, and Juan Antonio Matías, chef of Itzac, a Mexican restaurant in Madrid.

Marlin comes from a family of bakers. For years she has seen the variety of breads of the dead that are consumed on this date. The most common, she points out, is the round bread that is sugared and has strips and little balls on top.

The round shape means the circle of life, the four strips are the cardinal points and the balls for some people are the representation of the bones and for others the tears of life, sugar also has a meaning and are happy moments.

But the bread of the dead can vary according to its place of origin.

One of the breads that surprises locals and strangers alike is that of Oaxaca, which instead of being sprinkled with sugar is painted by hand with icing. In Puebla, sesame seeds are placed on it and then it is put in the oven. In Michoacán they make “muertitos”, Marlin clarifies that they are not like the ‘wawas’ (which we know in South America), they are simpler, these are some of the dead breads that can be found in Mexico. The bread of the dead, which is scented with orange blossom and orange zest, has to be accompanied with the traditional drinking chocolate.

To continue with the sweet line, something that cannot be missing from the altars is pumpkin candy, it is necessary to remember that in Mexico it is autumn, the season for this fruit, so it is cooked with chancaca and cinnamon. Sugar skulls are another dessert present in the altars, they are made from this ingredient and are painted with different colors and often include the name of the deceased to whom they are being offered, today there is also a variety made with chocolate.

Chef Juan Matías highlights other dishes such as pozole, which is prepared with a type of corn called cacahuazintle, a typical Mexican corn that, unlike the other varieties, is a little larger and blooms when boiled and tends to be a small flower. dish is prepared with pork or chicken, it can even be made with fish. The Mantamantel, which is the Oaxacan mole, is also a must, unlike other moles, this one is fruity. The milpa soup has also been on the chef’s altars, which is a corn soup, with a little mushroom, squash flower, it’s one more spoon dish.

Without a doubt, Mexican gastronomy for this date dresses up to celebrate the life of all the dead.