EP 52 Edible Bones and Sugar Skulls: The Festive Foods of Dias de los Muertos

Today marks the first of two festive days collectively known as Días de los Muertos, a Hispanic folk holiday to remember the souls of those departed and to temporarily welcome them home with a vibrant celebration of color, food, and music. Leigh and Kim go beyond the veil to reveal the origins of two iconic food traditions: Pan de Muerto and Calaveres du Azucar. During Días de los Muertos, millions of Hispanic families celebrate their ancestors and deceased loved ones with special traditions and foods that acknowledge the circle of life. The air fills with sweet scents of marigolds, orange blossom, and anise to guide the family spirits home, and everywhere you turn you find pillowy sweet breads decorated with skulls & bones or brightly decorated sugar skulls. Behind these paradoxical images - macabre yet cheerful - lie the stories of ancient Mesoamerica rites transformed by European colonialism into more palatable traditions.Sources We Found Helpful for this Episode Pan de Muerto by Mexican Food KitchenOaxaca welcomes spirits home with ’bread of the dead’ | National GeographicBooks We Think You’ll  Enjoy ReadingSkulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead: The Day of the Dead in Mexico and Beyond by Stanley BrandesLlewellyn's Little Book of the Day of the Dead by Jaime GironésThis Guera's Guide to Dia de los Muertos: An Introduction to the Holiday and Assistance on Setting up the Altar by Lauren AlanizRecipes You Really Need to TryPan de Muerto by Good HousekeepingWe would love to connect with youAsWeEat.com, on Instagram @asweeat, join our new As We Eat community on Facebook, or subscribe to the As We Eat Journal.Do you have a great idea 💡 for a show topic, a recipe 🥘 that you want to share, or just say “hi”👋🏻?  Send us an email at connect@asweeat.comReview As We Eat on Podchaser or Apple Podcast. We would like to know what you think.As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. This helps us to continue to bring you stories, history, and personal musings about food, cuisines, traditions, and recipes