DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS
The perfect opportunity to sit at the same dinner table with your loved ones and share your favorite food together.
The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos), is a two-day holiday celebration that takes place on November 1st and 2nd, and is an opportunity to commemorate and celebrate the brief return to Earth of our deceased loved ones. The first day is for “All Saints” and is devoted to the little ones, and the second day is for the “Faithfully Departed” dedicated to the adults.
This celebration is an important part of Mexican culture because it provides the opportunity to reconnect with family, memories, and traditional food. In recent years, Día de los Muertos has also gained popularity in the US and globally, with representation in pop culture and blockbuster movies like “Coco” and “Book of Life” helping bring attention to this holiday.
Those we love with the strength of our heart never truly leave us.
Altars decorated with paper cut-outs (papel picado), marigolds (flor de cempazúchitl), candles, bread of the dead (pan de muerto), sugar skulls (calaveritas de azúcar), and food are the center of this celebration for the deceased. Families carefully prepare their loved ones’ favorite dishes for their souls and the entire family to enjoy together at the table. The colors, fragrances, and authentic flavors of this tradition help us feel reunited with our family and friends.
Join us in this celebration! We’ve prepared iconic Cacique recipes to share with your family for this Día de Los Muertos. And don’t forget to check out our brief explanation of the significance of the sugar skulls at the end, too!
“A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.” – Thomas Keller
TACOS DORADOS WITH CHORIZO, OAXACA AND QUESO FRESCO
ENCHILADAS DE CREMA
Enchiladas could be considered the most iconic Mexican dish, and are a favorite for Día de los Muertos. For these flavorful enchiladas, corn tortillas are dipped in a savory sauce made with ancho chiles and Cacique Crema Mexicana, and then filled with shredded pork, potatoes, and Cacique Queso Fresco. Top with more Queso Fresco and Crema Mexicana to add to the magic of this celebration.
PAN DE MUERTO
Bread of the dead is an essential part of the Día de Los Muertos altar (ofrenda). This bread is filled with symbolism – its round shape symbolizes the circle of life and death, the ball on top of the bread represents the skull, and the small pieces of bread that lay in a cross across the top of the bread signify their bones/body. The spongy texture and sweet citrus flavor go perfectly with a cup of hot chocolate or café de olla.
SUGAR SKULLS
People often use the sugar skulls to decorate their altars and offer them as a gift to their family and friends. “Calaverita de azúcar” are sugar sculptures in the shape of skulls that are often decorated with brightly colored icing, sequins, and foil. They usually have the name of a loved one written on the forehead. Calaveritas are very colorful and filled with symbolism. Each color has a special meaning – red represents our blood, orange is the sun, yellow is the Mexican marigold “Flor de cempazúchitl” (which represents death itself), purple is pain, pink and white are hope, purity and celebration, and black represents the Land of the Dead.
Now that you’ve learned more about Día de los Muertos, it is time for you and your family to sit down at the table and get ready to commemorate those who have said goodbye physically, yet stay in your hearts forever. The Cacique family is ready to celebrate with you!
