Snack on “pan de muerto” during the Day of the Dead

Author: MARIA TERESA HERNANDEZ

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The first bite is an assault on the senses. Sugary, lemony, fluffy delight.

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

In the form of a bun decorated with pieces of bread that look like bones and sugar on top, pan de muerto can be seen in coffee shops, dining tables or homemade altars, which Mexicans build in memory of their dead loved ones and welcome them back on the night of November 2.

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

For centuries, Mexicans have commemorated the dead with celebrations and food

Since pre-Hispanic times, there have been festivals for the dead and skull-shaped products have been made. But in the 1500s, when the Spanish arrived, new elements such as sugar and bread were incorporated into the indigenous offerings.

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

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

“Under this worldview, the bones of the human body, like the insides of fruit, are seeds,” Medina said. “So, in a sense, altars are fertility sacrifices. And the Day of the Dead is a celebration of life, which is contained in every grain.”

Pan de muerto’s form, ingredients, and preparation methods vary from state to state in Mexico, but it is enjoyed throughout the country.

100 and counting: one man’s quest to try all the variations of “pan de muerto”

In Mexico City, hundreds of bakeries make their own version. Rodrigo Delgado spent years trying to try them all.

For fun, he sets himself the task of trying as many as possible and reviewing them his Instagram account. On his first quest a decade ago, he sampled 15. In 2023, he’s sampled 100. This year, he expects to sample 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, Godínez Gourmet. “The combination of flavors of the bread, as well as its texture, are very comforting.”

He doesn’t remember the first time he tried pan de muerto, but he has fond memories of his mother baking it at home. He and his brother kneaded the dough, he said, and sculpted the bone-like decorations on its top.

Baking pan de muerto is not an easy task. on Panadería Dos Veintein Mexico City’s San Rafael neighborhood, owner Manu Tovar said it takes three days of work to prepare these sweet buns for sale: one to get the infusion that gives the bread its flavor, another to add it to the dough, and another day to knead and shape the buns.

There is no secret in his recipe, Tovar said. The ingredients—although seasonal—are simple: orange blossom, tangerine peel, anise, and butter.

His specialty, which makes his bread unique, is sourdough. “It’s an ancestral process,” Tovar said. “A thousand-year-old method of making bread.”

The sourdough he and four assistants use is 20 years old. He adds water and flour every day to keep it alive and mixes some with new dough. According to him, this gives the bread a better taste and makes it easier to digest.

The seasonal flavors of Pan de muertos make it special

For years, Tovar said, he resisted the temptation to bake the de muerto mold in early October. The quality of the ingredients improves as November approaches, but customers kept asking when the rolls would be ready, so he relented.

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

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

The atmosphere of the Day of the Dead season, he added, also plays a role. At this time of year, the night falls earlier, and there is a certain mysticism in the air, a special feeling.

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

Associated Press religious coverage is supported through the AP cooperation from The Conversation US with funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. AP is solely responsible for this content.

Originally published: Oct 29, 2024 at 1:22 pm EDT