What is the origin of the Day of the Dead bread?

The Day of the Dead is one of the most relevant traditions, rich in history and mysticism. Although it is also celebrated in other Central American countries and Spain, in Mexico it is special and has unique elements such as color, wisdom, cuisine, food, and, of course, the bread of the dead. In addition to traditional elements such as water, salt, candles, flowers, copal, or food, each with a special meaning, a good altar must include one or more breads of the dead. The meaning of the bread, which is traditionally made since October, is less pleasant than its taste, as its history and origin, although with different versions, still remain less than romantic. The oldest civilizations of Mesoamerica performed human sacrifices as daily rituals to their gods, with a level of devotion that continues to amaze us. Among their multiple ways of sacrificing, one was to extract the heart from the offering. Some say that the ritual from which the idea of making bread emerged was to offer a princess to the gods, removing her heart while still alive, and while the heart continued to beat, they placed it in a pot with amaranth, and the priest or person in charge of the ritual would eat it to thank the deities. Others recount that to bury the dead, a bread made from amaranth seeds was created, which was bathed in the blood left over from the sacrifices. The bread of the dead is made in various forms depending on the region where it is baked. A slightly less literal version claims that bread was always used to symbolize the heart of an idol created from various elements, and a representation of a sacrifice was simply made by removing the heart (bread) from this fictitious idol to later distribute it among the people. Whatever the real version, when the Spaniards arrived in the Americas, one of the first things they wanted to eliminate was this type of ritual. Then, history also tells that it was the Spanish clergy who began to represent the hearts with bread, which they painted red to symbolize blood, and later they would add sugar. Of course, it was evident that it would be a bread of the dead. The form of the bread of the dead that we know today represents a corpse, the small ball of bread on top is a skull, and the four canillas represent the bones of the body that point to the directions of the universe. In Mexico, there are countless types of bread of the dead in Puebla, Tlaxcala, Oaxaca, Michoacán, and each has its traditional way of making it. Some are simply sugared, others are glazed with egg and sesame, some are painted red, and some are more oval than round; in some places, they even carry dedications. Of course, now there are even cream-filled, whipped cream, and even, in stubbornness, Nutella-filled. No matter their origin, the reality is that we always look forward to these dates, not just for the holiday, but for the Day of the Dead festivities and to savor this creation of the gods and enjoy it with a cup of frothy hot chocolate. Go to original article Contents courtesy of www.animalgourmet.com   Recipe for Traditional Bread of the Dead Ingredients: - 1 teaspoon of yeast - 4 cups of flour - 1/4 cup of warm water - 7 eggs - 1 teaspoon of salt - 1/2 cup of sugar - 125 grams of butter - sugar Find the steps to prepare this recipe by clicking here.   Recipe for Oaxacan Bread of the Dead Ingredients: - 250 grams of flour - 30 grams of sugar - 1 pinch of salt - 1 egg - 7 grams of yeast - 100 milliliters of warm water - 50 grams of butter - 30 grams of powdered milk - 1/2 teaspoon of almond essence - 1 tablespoon of anise seeds - sesame seeds for decoration Click here to see the preparation procedure for this recipe.   Did you know the origin of the bread of the dead?