Día de Muertos is the Mexican holiday beginning on October 31st and ending on November 2nd, during which people honor the dead with food and gifts. Start your own tradition with this festive, colorful menu.
For Día de Muertos, families build altars (called ofrendas) for their late relatives. Ours is piled high with a five-course meal including cheesy churros, squash smothered in mole, tamales, sweet breads and chocolate flan.
A savory take on the classic street food, these crisp corn churros are paired with a rich, peppery cheese dip swirled with tomato salsa.
Squash, which is native to the Americas, plays heavily in Mexican cuisine. This recipe features kabocha, delicata and honeynut squash, smothered in a complex, fruity mole sauce.
The centerpiece of the altar is a giant tamal wrapped in banana leaves. Made with a delicate, schmaltz masa and filled with saucy, smokey shredded turkey, this larger-than-life dish is a real show-stopper.
Follow these step-by-step instructions to create the main event for your Día de Muertos feast.
"Bread of the Dead" is sweet, soft and decorated with bones. OK, not real bones, but dough embellishments arranged to represent the circle of life. This pan de muerto is coated with your favorite dried fruits and herbs, like raspberry, blueberry, mango, hibiscus or lemon verbena.
Learn how to make, shape and sugar pan de muerto with easy instructions.
Finish up your feast with a healthy portion of flan. Our version takes the traditional caramel custard and amps it up with a healthy dose of chocolate.
