Día de Muertos celebrations

Today marks the Mexican celebration Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead, celebrated November 1-2 each year. Day of the Dead celebrations date back 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 America 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, Dia de Muertos has its own traditional foods like candied pumpkin, highly decorated sugar skulls, tamales, and pan de muerto or “bread of the dead.” Pictured above is a pan de muerto from Serious Eats.

According to Mariana Nuno-Ruiz McEnroe, author of Dining with the Dead: A Feast for the Souls on Day of the Dead, pan de muerto “is thought to have been prepared to resemble a skull and bones soon after the Spanish friars came to Mexico. And they found this bread to be the best substitution for the real skulls that were part of the native rituals in Mexico. So today, eating pan de muerto and placing it on the ofrenda and at the altar, it represents how we commune with our departed.”

In the Kickstarter for Dining with the Dead, McEnroe says that the book “is the story of our  experiences with the holiday and with cooking with family. It’s also the story of our journey to Mexico to experience Día de Muertos up close and personal. And it’s the story of the delectable, scratch, made-with-love food that warms our souls on special occasions and all year long.” The book contains 112 recipes along with over 500 lush and enticing photos.