The foods of Día de Muertos

On the heels of Halloween is the Mexican celebration Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead, celebrated November 1-2 each year. Day of the Dead celebrations can be traced to the ancient Aztecs, who felt that instead of mourning the deceased, people should celebrate their lives and welcome their spirits back to the land of the living once a year.

Spanish conquistadors brought Catholic missionaries who exerted their influence on the tradition, and the resulting blending of cultures created the celebration known today. The holiday has spread from Mexico to the US and around the world.

Common traditions for this holiday include creating altars to honor the dead, preparing offerings, sharing stories of the deceased, and decorating gravesites. The holiday is a festive day, with many colorful crafts on display. And like most celebrations, Día de Muertos has its own traditional foods like candied pumpkin, highly decorated sugar skulls, tamales, and pan de muerto or “bread of the dead.”

Pan de muerto is a sweetened soft bread shaped into a boule and often decorated with bone-shaped pieces and frequently sprinkled with sugar or sesame seeds. Traditionally it is eaten at the altar (ofrenda) of the deceased, along with his or her favorite foods. For Adriana Velez, this traditional bread is even more symbolic this year. She writes that in 2020, she needs her ancestors more than ever, so she is baking pan de muerto to call them forth.

Photo of Pan de muerto from Serious Eats