The day of the dead, a delicious Mexican tradition.

The day of the dead is a Mexican tradition of pre-Hispanic origin in which we remember that death is part of the cycle of life and we must celebrate life through death by remembering those who have left. This pre-Columbian tradition merges with the Catholic celebration of All Saints' Day, creating a syncretism between Christianity and indigenous religious beliefs. This tradition was declared by UNESCO in 2003 as the intangible heritage of humanity, and food can not be lacking in such an important cultural tradition. A very important element of this celebration is the "Pan de Muerto" (Dead's bread). This bread is only prepared during the days close to this celebration and there are several theories about its origin. With the arrival of the Spanish many traditions were adapted and modified, it is said that among the Aztecs it was customary to offer maidens to the gods, their hearts were placed in a container with amaranth and the priests bit the heart in gratitude; This tradition was censured by the Spaniards so the natives disguised it and began to make a heart-shaped bread, with sugar on top painted in red that simulated blood. Each element of the bread of the dead has a meaning, its circular shape symbolizes the cycle of life and death, the circle of the upper part represents the skull, the 4 cannulas placed in the shape of a cross represent the bones as well as the 4 cardinal points . There are variations of the bread of the dead according to the region of the country in the states of Puebla, Oaxaca, Tlaxcala and Michoacán each has its traditional way of doing it, but the one described in this text is the most traditional and is based on flour, yeast , egg, butter, orange zest, sugar and orange blossom water. The bread of the dead is one of my favorites but unfortunately we can only find it this season, I really recommend you taste it is delicious, the tradition is to accompany it with a rich cup of hot chocolate, Mexican of course !. You can find it in any bakery even in the self-service stores. #pandemuerto #dayofthedead #diademuertos