In their homes, Mexicans erect altars in honour of the deceased and set out offerings of a selection of objects and food that the deceased used to enjoy: toys and sweets for a child; beer, tequila or tobacco for an adult. They don't forget to include a glass of water to quench the soul's thirst after his long journey from the beyond and a little pile of salt to purify it.
At the end of October, it's time to clean the tombs and decorate them with a profusion of golden French marigolds and amaranth flowers. Finally, on the evening of 1 November, all the family goes to the cemetery, where they light countless candles and burn copal – a semi-fossil resin – to guide the souls of the dead and place baskets of food on every tomb. Mexicans spend the whole night there, with contrasting emotions ranging from contemplation and solemnity to the joy of reunion. Together, the dead and the living drink, eat, talk and sing.
‘Buried chicken’ and other festival dishes
The Day of the Dead, like many events in Mexico, gives pride of place to festival food. The celebrations vary from region to region and some dishes are specially cooked for consumption during this festival. For example, the people of the Yucatán make "Muc Bil Pollo", which is literally "buried chicken". The dish is based on maize, chicken and pork and is slow cooked in an oven dug into the ground the day before the Day of the Dead.
Day of the dead offering altar (Dia de Muertos) Celebration with bread ¨Pan de Muerto¨ chocolate and amaranto skulls and flowery in background.
©Shutterstock / AG Cuesta
A portion of mole poblano, on a traditional plate made of Talavera pottery
© Laurange Marie Ange Unbekandt
Day of the dead offering altar (Dia de Muertos) Celebration with bread ¨Pan de Muerto¨ chocolate and amaranto skulls and flowery in background.
©Shutterstock / AG Cuesta
A portion of mole poblano, on a traditional plate made of Talavera pottery
© Laurange Marie Ange Unbekandt
However, many of the recipes served up during these festivities are the great traditional dishes in the Mexican repertoire, that is, family dishes, as they are selected based on the preferences of the deceased, while they were still alive. Tamales, small maize rolls, are more or less obligatory and were even present, in a slightly different form, during pre-Hispanic rites. Nowadays, there are countless tamales recipes: they may be sweet or savoury, stuffed or plain, served hot in a corn husk or a banana leaf. Mole, a meat stew in a sauce with pre-Columbian origins, is another emblematic dish served up for this occasion. Its name comes from mulli, which means sauce in nahuatl. The best known mole outside Mexico is undoubtedly the mole poblano, because it contains several grammes of chocolate. This dish was created by nuns in Puebla during the 17th century.
Whatever dishes are eaten on the Dia de los Muertos, they are always both sacred and profane. They are food for the body, but above all food for the soul, of both the living and the dead.