Craving something sweet during Day of the Dead in Mexico? Try pan de muerto

MEXICO CITY – The first bite is an attack on the senses. Sugary, citrusy, airy delight.

“Pan de Muerto” or “bread of the dead” is baked in Mexico every year, from early October to mid-November, in Day of the Dead holidays.

Pan de Muerto, shaped like a bun and topped with seed-like pieces of bread and sugar, can be seen in cafes, on dinner tables or on homemade altars. which Mexicans build in memory of the dead loved ones and welcome them back for the night of November 2.

The date of its origin cannot be given, but pan de muerto can be seen as a fusion of Mesoamerican and Spanish traditions, says Andres Medina, a researcher at the Institute of Anthropological Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

Mexicans have commemorated their dead with celebrations and food for centuries.

Since pre-Hispanic times, there were holidays to commemorate the dead and items were made in the shape of skulls. But in the 1500s, when the Spanish arrived, new elements such as sugar and bread were included in indigenous offerings.

According to Medina, these first celebrations coincided with the harvest season, which gives pan de muerto a spiritual, symbolic meaning. If his decorations resemble bones, it is because Mesoamerican worldviews considered them the source of life.

According to ancient myth, Quetzalcoatl created humanity from bones. Details vary from one source to another, but soon after the god apparently stole them from the underworld, he fell. And from his blood the seed of life was born.

“According to this worldview, the bones of the human body, like the insides of a fetus, are seeds,” Medina said. “So, in a sense, altars are offerings to fertility. And the Day of the Dead is a celebration of the life contained in every seed.”

Pan de muerto’s shape, ingredients, and preparation methods vary by state in Mexico, but it is eaten throughout the country.

100 and counting: one man’s attempt to try all the pan de muerto options

There are hundreds of bakeries in Mexico City making their own version. Rodrigo Delgado spent years trying to try them all.

For fun, he makes it his mission to try as many as possible and view them on his Instagram account. On his first quest ten years ago, he tried 15. In 2023, he bit off 100. This year, he expects to try at least 110.

“I like pan de muerto because of what it means during the Day of the Dead season,” said Delgado, who also reviews local restaurants on his blog. Godinez Gourmand. “The combination of flavors in the bread, as well as the texture, is very comforting.”

He doesn’t remember the first time he tasted pan de muerto, but he cherishes the memories of his mother baking it at home. He and his brother kneaded the dough and shaped the bone decorations on the top, he said.

Baking pan de muerto is no easy task. IN Panaderia Dos VeinteIn the San Rafael neighborhood of Mexico City, owner Manu Tovar said preparing these sweet rolls for sale takes three days of work: one to extract the infusions that give the bread its flavor, another to add them to the dough, and another day to knead and shape the buns.

According to Tovar, there is no secret to his recipe. The ingredients, although seasonal, are simple: orange blossom, tangerine zest, anise and butter.

His special feature that makes his bread unique is the sourdough starter. “It’s a hereditary process,” Tovar said. “A thousand-year-old way of making bread.”

The starter he and four assistants use is 20 years old. He adds water and flour daily to keep it alive and mixes some of it into new dough. This gives the bread a better flavor and makes it easier to digest, he says.

Seasonal flavors of Pan de muertos make it special

For years, Tovar said, he resisted the temptation to bake pan de muerto in early October. As November approaches, the quality of the ingredients improves, but customers keep asking when the buns will be ready, so he gives in.

This season, in addition to baking 90 pan de muertos a day, he came up with two new creations: a croissant roll filled with marigold cream, and a bun known locally as a concha, shaped like a marigold flower, made with tangerine instead of vanilla. or chocolate.

“If you bake it the traditional way, you can only make pan de muerto now because that’s when the fruit will be available,” Tovar said. “I think that’s what makes it so special.”

He added that the atmosphere of the Day of the Dead season also plays a role. At this time of year, twilight comes earlier, and there is a certain mysticism, a special feeling in the air.

“It probably has to do with the melancholy of what the holiday means,” he said. “One day a year you can feel closer to those who are no longer with you.”

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