BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Mexican Food The Day of the Dead in Mexico

The Day of the Dead � El D�a de los Muertos - might have sent shivers down my spine as a child but it also brought with it a very special, deliciously ghoulish, annual treat - sugar skulls with big toothy grins and shining eyes. Can other countries boast anything even half as wonderfully macabre to celebrate All Souls Day?

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art21048.asp

Hi Isabel,

I was in Zamora yesterday,the second and busiest of the two days, and visited three supermarkets and all of them were displaying the pan de muertos throughout the stores- in the front entrances, the bakery sections, and other areas. Sample platters with sliced cubes of the bread were strategically placed to entice shoppers to purchase them. The pan came in three sizes and were sold either prepackaged in special Day of the Dead boxes or individually. The individual ones were on the shelves supplanting the sweet breads/pan dulce that would normally be there. As for the sugar skulls, those that are not sold will be discounted indefinitely as they are pretty indestructable.

I wanted to see what the bakeries throughout town had for the Day of the Dead but, unfortunately, they were closed for the holiday as were many of the other stores there.

I spent Dia de Muertos in Mexico City this year for the first time and had a blast. I posted a pics of the unique cuisine here: [url=http://authenticmexicanrecipes.posterous.com/authentic-mexican-recipes-from-dia-de-muertos]dia de muertos mexican food[/url] Aside from all the offerings and displays and the incredible spectacle in the Zocalo, the food was to die for over the two days... I only wish it would last a little longer so I could have more pan de muerto!

You lucky thing to have experienced it first hand - and if you want to eat pan de muerto every day, now you have a recipe!

I know, it was a real treat. The big Mexican bread companies were handing out pan de muerto in the Zocalo city square all day long, so I was literally having a mini feast right there, haha.

The title for the day is so depressing, but I do respect the reason for having such a day.

Yea it's definitely a different "flavor" of celebration from Independence Day or Christmas, but the people in Mexico really celebrate the day and honor their loved ones with a positive spirit; they're not walking around slouched with eyes cast to ground and a morbid energy... it's not at all like that, which is kind of how I pictured it when I first heard of it, years ago!

Absolutely! It is all incredibly jolly, even on the first day which is dedicated to dead children, and tremendous fun, in spite of the fact that there is underlying sadness.