Today is All Soul's Day while tomorrow is All Saint's Day. Before Halloween became a big holiday
, these two holy days were filled with remembrance and feasting throughout the Christian world. The souls gone and the saints who protect can still be remembered with prayers and food.
Today is huge in Mexico. It's a time when families visit cemeteries
, bringing favorite foods for loved ones lost as well as for themselves
.The indigenous people originally celebrated in the beginning of summer and the holiday was then moved to coincide with the Christian days of remembrance after Spanish colonization
.Many celebrate the day with homemade tamales for both the living and deceased along with pan de
los muertos., a type of sweet bread. Anise seeds flavor it
, giving the same taste as the Italian
biscotti.Drinks to toast and commemorate are Jamaican iced tea, a type of tea made with Jamaican hibiscus plant's flowers and leaves along with
pulque -a type of alcoholic beverage made with the fermented sap of the agave plant. Other drinks are
atole and
champurrdo, corn or
masa based
drinks flavored with sugar, vanilla and cinnamon
.Guatamalens make
fiambre ,a kind of picnic course that includes sausages and cold cuts along with pickled baby corn, beets and onions.. There are also various cheeses, chicken and olives. Some
families even include Brussels sprouts and
pacaya flowers, from the
pacaya palm. The last is dipped in egg batter and then fried.
Europe also celebrates as it has since the Sixth Century AD. In Italy, France and Spain families roast chestnuts, cutting a cross in each one to allow steam to rise. This is symbolic of the soul leaving the body. The Spaniards also make
pannellets or almond cakes. The dough is formed with mashed potatoes, sugar and almonds
.and then rolled in beaten egg and pine nuts. They resemble the Italian cookies, pignoli. In England, it's soul cakes, popularized in Sting's song of the same name. These are yeast breads
, flavored with cinnamon and decorated with raisins. They were baked in the shape of men and women
,and given out to children who went begging
.All Saint's day also gets special treats, especially in Italy and Sicily. Children who pray for the
passed are rewarded with the homemade
favi de morti , beans of the dead. These are almond paste cookies that have been spiced up with lemon and cinnamon
.It's kind of like a baked marzipan that's have been rolled into long rolls then cut into pieces to resemble broad beans.
All Soul's Day and All Saint's Day are a time of prayer and remembrance. They are also a time to celebrate those we have lost with good food and feasts. They are solemn
days but days filled with flavor.
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