Many foods appear at various Mexican holidays.
Holidays in Mexico play an important part of the culture, and food creates one of the cornerstones for those celebrations. Like in other cultures, foods for fiestas served depend on the time of year and the specific holiday being celebrated, but some of them, such as tamales appear at more than one holiday table. Traditional Mexican holiday foods add flavor and fun to the fiestas. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Tamales
Tamales consist of meat, fruit, cheese or beans encased in a cornmeal covering. The entire tamal (singular for tamales) has a wrapping of a corn husk to hold the ingredients in place as it steams. After steaming, the cornmeal dough surrounding the filling sets, and the diner removes and discards the corn husk, feasting on the savory or sweet tamal inside. These appear year round at Mexican meals, but they have a close association with holidays due to the ritual nature of the tamales. Each holiday has its own filling inside the tamal, resulting in 42 different types of tamales, according to Mex Connect.
Rosca
At Christmas, Mexicans enjoy a bread with a surprise inside representing the Christ child. According to MexOnline, this rich, sweet bread known as rosca, contains a ceramic baby baked inside. All of the party guests have a piece of bread, and the one whose bread slice contains the baby must host a party for the others present on Feb. 2 for the celebration of Dia de Candelaria.
Pan de Muerto 'Bread of the Dead' and Sugar Skulls
Rather than celebrating Halloween in the fall, Mexicans prefer to honor their loved ones who have died with Dias de los Muertos (Days of the Dead). According to Global Gourmet, the first two days of November, Mexicans believe that the souls of their dead friends and family return to Earth. To honor these deceased, Mexicans bake a rich, egg-based bread cooked into the shape of skulls or bones. Additionally, sugar crafted into skull shapes create piles in bakeries where the young and young-at-heart purchase them for a sweet holiday treat.
Tags: corn husk, Traditional Mexican