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Foods of the Day of the Dead

day of the dead foods

Day of the Dead altar. Photo: rainy city, Flickr.

Sugary treats, bread and tamales -- the dead have it so good! The Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is actually two days that combine Aztec traditions with Christianity's All Saints and All Souls Days on Nov. 1 and 2. It is by no means a somber holiday. In fact the Day of the Dead is a joyous time during which the dead re-join the living and are honored by their families.

Ancestors are memorialized with visits to cemeteries and homemade altars adorned with ofrendas (offerings). These include items belonging to the dead, candles, flowers, a bowl of water, incense and food, of which the dead are believed to consume the essence prior to the living's meal.

The food most closely associated with the Day of the Dead is pan de muerto (bread of the dead). It varies regionally, and is baked in many shapes, including skulls, human figures, crosses and teardrops, then sprinkled with colored sugar.
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Filed under: Holidays

Skull mini-cake pan

Want an alternative to a pumpkin pan for Halloween? How about giving a (semi) scary Skull Cake Pan a try? The nonstick metal pan measures only 7 1/2" x 8 1/4" and makes four little skulls at a time. You can make them as creepy or as cute as you like - depending on who your audience is and whether you are trying to go for a dessert for a really elaborate party.

I suspect that this pan is meant more for Day of the Dead celebrations than it is for Halloween, but that doesn't mean that it can't do double-duty and produce cakes for both occasions. And as long as you have a good cupcake recipe, I don't think that anyone will object to having cake two days in a row.

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Filed under: Food Oddities, Fall Flavors, Methods

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