Día de los Muertos is coming up in a few days where November 1st is recognized as Día de los Angelitos (Day of the Angels), and November 2nd is known as Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). During these days, families of those who have departed get together to celebrate life, and the return of their spirits to earth.
On the days leading up to Día De los Muertos, altars are set up for family members who have passed. These altars are usually adorned with pictures of the deceased, sugar skulls with their name on them, their favorite dishes, marigolds, a glass of water, and Pan de Muerto to name a few things.
Pan de Muerto has ties to Christianity, and it symbolizes the eucharist, because the bread bears the cross on the top. Other times Pan de Muerto is topped with sesame seeds to represent the tears of the deceased souls that haven’t been able to find peace.
When I was brainstorming what to contribute to Sara’s #VirtualPumpkinParty, I started thinking about the Empanada Festival that happened outside of our hotel during our recent trip to Mexico. At night, the entire jardín was filled with local bakers selling their empanadas. Some of the empanadas were sweet, and others were savory but all equally delicious. I was originally set on making empanadas until I realized this would be a good opportunity to show you guys how to make Pan de Muerto filled with pumpkin butter in anticipation of the holiday.
Check out some of the other contributions by searching #VirtualPumpkinParty across social media, or check out some of my favorite recipes like Brett’s Pumpkin Granola which I’ll probs be making every day until Christmas, or Billy’s Pumpkin Butterscotch Sauce you’ll want to bathe in and Adrianna’s cozy af Pumpkin Chai Scones.
