Pan de Muerto

It’s baking while I’m writing this. My own Pan de Muerto smells great and I’m glad I don’t have to wait to eat it. See, when it is being made to celebrate the holiday, Dia de los Muertos, it is meant to be enjoyed by departed souls who have come back for a celebration. Only after it has been appropriately offered can it be eaten.

Luckily for me, this was just an experiment in taste and culture, and the results have been great so far (hopefully to get better later, when I get to taste the bread). But I already like the idea that Mexicans celebrate death in this way. It’s not a time of mourning the lost, it is a time to celebrate their return visits. It is even common to find a person’s favorite food or drink on the ofrenda (altar), even though it may not be considered a traditional food for the holiday. Family and friends want to make it as welcoming as possible, and don’t limit themselves to only making traditional items.

The Pan de Muerto is usually found either in round or skull-shaped loaves and decorated with bones (just dough that has been separated out and formed into little bone shapes) and colored sugar or sugar glaze, if not both. Other popular food items are sugared skulls, other candies, mole dishes and Calabaza en Tacha (candied pumpkin), which I’ll be making next week. The ofrendas have more than just cuisine on them, though. They are commonly found adorned with candles, to help light the way for the returning souls, photos, flowers, and other personal or symbolic touches.