10 Traditional Day of the Dead Foods for an Unforgettable Feast

One of the most exquisite parts of Day of the Dead in Mexico is the food. Families usher the spirits of their loved ones back to the land of the living on November 1 and 2 by building ofrendas lined with their favorite foods. Some are sweet, like dulces típicos (regional sweets), while others like mole lean savory. Meals are typically prepared in large quantities, so there’s more than enough of each dish to go around! 

If you can’t make it to Mexico to join the festivities, you can host your own Día de los Muertos celebration this year. Choose your favorites on the list below, or go all out with a full menu. There’s plenty of variety to choose from, and if you’re new to Mexican cuisine, a whole new world of flavor to discover. 

When it comes to holidays in Mexico, there’s so much to explore. Learning Spanish can help you connect more fully with the people behind these incredible traditions and festivities. Rosetta Stone has all the tools you need to get conversation-ready in no time! 

The essential role of Mexican cuisine 

Unlike most Mexican food served in the United States, traditional Mexican cuisine is part of UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. ¡Es muy significante! (That’s very significant!) That’s because food practices are not just about the palate in Mexico. They’re also linked to the earth, growing practices, social interactions, and rituals. 

Though the special dishes and drinks prepared for Day of the Dead are innumerable, we’ll focus on the top ten and provide details about their variations.

1. Mole

Mole is a rich and satisfying sauce that originated in pre-Hispanic culture. Cooks would blend chili peppers, pumpkin seeds, and tomatoes together, probably in a mortar and pestle called a molcajete. In Nahuatl, this mixture was called mulli and often served over cooked meat. 

After the arrival of the Spanish, mole as we know it today was invented during the colonial period, probably in Puebla or Oaxaca, by introducing new ingredients to the recipe, such as tomatoes, vegetables, and fresh or dried fruits. A wide range of spices like cumin or cinnamon are also incorporated into this delicacy.

Moles are usually served over a piece of chicken, turkey, or pork and accompanied with rice and perhaps beans or a salad, and of course tortillas to soak up every drop of this delectable dish. Mole is such a large part of Oaxacan cuisine that they have seven mole styles, which we’ve listed here: 

• Mole negro: This means “black mole,” due to its appearance from the use of dark chocolate and raisins. Containing peanuts and almonds plus four chilis, mole negro is one of the most popular and beloved moles. 
• Mole poblano: Another popular mole is the one invented in Puebla. Poblano refers to both people and items from Puebla. Made with three types of chiles, this mole has a dark red color that is nearly brown because of the use of chocolate and dark-colored spices. 
• Mole amarillo: Despite its name, which means “yellow,” this mole varies in color from yellowish to reddish and every color in between. Thickened with cornmeal, mole amarillo gets its name from the chili used to make it. In Oaxaca, it’s also used in quesadillas.
• Mole manchamanteles: Meaning “tablecloth staining,” this rust-colored mole is sweeter than the rest and made with ancho chiles, pineapple, and plantains.
• Mole verde: Another mole named after its color, green mole is one of the few moles prepared with fresh chili peppers. It’s often made with other green vegetables like tomatillos or chayote and thickened with ground pumpkin seeds.
• Mole colorado: Colorado means red-colored, and this mole has a deep red tone. Known familiarly as coloradito, this recipe uses red and green tomatoes plus raisins and two types of chili peppers. Not only is it served over meat, it can also be used to make enchiladas. ¡Fabuloso! (Fabulous!)
• Mole chichilo: Frequently served at funerals, which can last for days in Mexico, mole chichilo uses the lesser known and nearly black chilhuacle chili along with other charred ingredients, such as the leaves of the avocado tree. Those charred qualities give it the sauce its rich black color and slightly bitter taste.

>> Boost your Spanish vocab and learn more about Oaxacan food in this video! 

2. Pan de muerto

Directly translated as “bread of the dead,” pan de muerto comes in a multitude of shapes and sizes. While most pan de muerto is made with an egg-based dough, its color and flavors vary widely, though a delicate touch of anise or orange are often present. No Day of the Dead altar is complete without pan de muerto, but many living beings love to eat it too, especially with hot chocolate or atole, which we’ll talk about soon! You’ll find pan de muerto at the outdoor food markets and in the bakeries a couple weeks prior to November 1 and 2.

Here are a few of the most popular types of pan de muerto:

• Traditional: Round in shape, this bread, often sprinkled with white or red sugar, has  huesos (bones) made of dough placed atop it in the form of a cross. 
• Anthropomorphic bread: Also called fantasmas (ghosts) in some regions, this bread is made into a human form with legs and arms and sprinkled with sesame seeds. There’s often a nonedible face included too!
• Sinaloa-style: To simulate ashes, burned corn husks are sprinkled on the round bread, making it look black. ¡Muy de la temporada! (Very seasonal!)
• Despeinadas (donuts): The name of this bread means “unkempt,” but like all other pan de muerto it’s carefully made. This particular type is in the form of a donut or pretzel. Popular in the Mexico City area, despeinadas are usually covered with red- or pink-colored sugar.
• Pan de yema (egg yolk bread): Traditionally made in Oaxaca, this round egg yolk bread is flavored with anise and lightly sprinkled with sesame seeds. It has a small nonedible face made of flour in the middle representing the spirit to which the batch was dedicated.

3. Dulces típicos

Most Day of the Dead altars feature dulces típicos, which despite the apparent cognate, actually means “regional sweets,” most of which start with a base of a natural ingredient like a fruit or whole grain. While many families make these at home, it is possible to buy them ready-made at open air markets or specialty shops.

• Dulce de calabaza (pumpkin sweets): Also called calabaza en tacha, this starts with a regional winter squash. It’s then slow cooked with piloncillo (unrefined cane sugar with a slightly smoky flavor, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Sometimes cooks will add pickling lime to the recipe and cook the squash down until it becomes calabaza confitada, candied pumpkin. 
• Dulce de tejocote (tejocote sweets): Tejocotes are small, round fruits native to Mexico. This dish is prepared like dulce de calabazas but usually has more syrup of a lighter color. 
• Dulce de camote (candied sweet potato): Dulce de camote is prepared much like the pumpkin sweet recipe listed above, but camotes are eaten as sweets in other ways year round.
• Alegrías de amaranto (amaranth candy): Alegrías are natural candies prepared with puffed amaranth, honey, piloncillo, raisins, and nuts. Around Day of the Dead, they’re poured into a skull-shaped mold to be savored as a healthy sweet.
• Calaveras de azúcar (sugar skulls): Also called calaveritas (little skulls), these whimsical candies are made mostly of sugar and not meant to be eaten. But there’s a space above the eye sockets for a name, and families will typically inscribe the names of the living—a lighthearted reminder of our inevitable destiny.
• Calaveras de chocolate (chocolate skulls): These candies tend to be made of milk chocolate and are more like a traditional candy. Watch out for the plastic eyes if you eat one of these!

>> Get this how-to guide on building the perfect ofrenda for your Día de los Muertos celebration! 

4. Pozole

You’ve probably gotten a sense that dishes in Mexico tend to have a lot of regional variations –and pozole is no exception. A rich, filling soup, pozole always contains hominy and usually has either pork or chicken, but there are vegetarian varieties.

The two main types of pozole are pozole blanco or pozole rojo, white or red pozole. White pozole is eaten more in northern places like Jalisco. Red pozole broth gets its rich color from blended chilis.

What makes pozole really marvelous are the toppings. Accompanied by tostadas, pozole gets topped with freshly sliced vegetables like radishes, avocado, and lettuce. Top it off with some oregano and dried chili powder. ¡Muy rico! (Very tasty!)

5. Tamales

Like a lot of other authentic Mexican food, there are innumerable types of tamales, a food originating in pre-Hispanic culture. As one of the gastronomic treasures of Mexico, tamales are rife with significance, since corn was and continues to be one of the basic staples of the culture. For many, tamales symbolize a connection between the earth, the living, and the dead. 

The singular of “tamales” is tamal in Spanish, and tamal-making starts with a corn husk or banana leaf, which is then filled with a cornmeal mixture and salsa. Meat or cheese are also added before the tamales are thoroughly steamed. Here are some of the most popular varieties of tamales:

• Tamales de mole: A specialty of Oaxaca, these are squarish tamales enveloped in banana leaves with chicken and mole inside.
• Tamales de rajas: Rajas are thin slices of chili peppers. These tamales usually have a red salsa and queso fresco (fresh cheese).
• Tamales verdes: Tamales verdes contain green salsa and pork or chicken. 
• Tamales de frijol: Generally eaten with a green salsa, these are made with refried beans and cheese.
• Tamales de dulce: Slightly sweet and sometimes pinkish in color, these may not contain any meat or cheese filling, but they usually have raisins. They are eaten with crema, a kind of thick cream.

>> Putting tamales on your Day of the Dead altar? Make your ofrenda even more inviting with these stunning Day of the Dead flowers. 

6. Mukbil pollo

With ancient Mayan roots, this dish from Yucatan is essentially a giant tamal! Starting with a thick corn base, salsa, spices, and meat are added. The entire package is wrapped in banana leaves. Unlike traditional tamales, mukbil pollo is slow-cooked in an underground pit. The heat of stones that fill the pit work to slowly transfer heat. If you’re planning to make these at home, you can pop them in the oven to get the same result. 

7. Xec

Pronounced “shek,” this dish also originates in the Yucatan region of Mexico. It contains orange slices, chili, lime juice, and jicama. It’s incredibly refreshing and a popular side dish to balance out the heavy, rich flavors of the dishes listed above. Jicama is at its peak from November – January in Mexico, so this is one way Yucatan locals lean on local, seasonal produce! 

8. Mixiotes de borrego

American barbecue comprises sticky, sweet ribs from Missouri, smoky brisket from Texas, and a whole variety of hot links that emerged as a clever way to recycle meat scraps. Mixiote is Mexico’s version of pit-fired barbecue, and it’s most popular in the Basin of Mexico. 

Mixiotes have been around since pre-Hispanic times. Meat, sauce, vegetables, and chili are wrapped in natural paper or leaves and steamed. De borrego refers to goat meat, though mixiotes of all type are fair game for Día de los Muertos. They’re often served with cooked nopales (cactus pads) and tortillas. 

9. Hot chocolate

End-of-the-year Mexican holidays always feature hot chocolate! As a pre-Hispanic food, there’s a long tradition in Mexico of enjoying this warm drink, but most Mexicans don’t use milk for their hot chocolate. Instead, the most popular way to drink it is known as chocolate de agua, when chocolate ground with sugar, spices, and sometimes almonds is melted in hot water and frothed. If you do prefer it with milk, be sure to order chocolate de leche.

10. Atole 

Atole is a thick, grain-based drink made with flavoring, sweetener, and usually corn. With an unlimited variation on a theme, atole is often eaten with tamales. Atole blanco is a plain atole, but it can also be made with fruit such as strawberries or with chocolate, in which case it’s called champurrado.

Explore more of Mexico’s vibrant culture with Rosetta Stone 

It’s time to put together your Día de los Muertos menu! Visit your local Mexican market for ingredients and have fun exploring new dishes and flavors.  

The foods served during Día de los Muertos are incredible, but there are plenty of other ways to partake in the holiday! Learn more about history and popular festivals, get the how-to guide on building your own ofrenda, or make a seasonal bouquet with these unforgettable Day of the Dead flowers. 

Whether you’re prepping for Día de los Muertos at home or abroad, learning Spanish is an awesome way to build deeper connections with the people around you. With Rosetta Stone, you can expand your cultural knowledge as you grow your Spanish skills in a fun, immersive environment. With bite-sized lessons, TruAccent, and more, you’ll be conversation-ready in no time. 

Start learning today!

Written by Rowena Galavitz 

Rowena Galavitz is a Spanish translator, bilingual copy editor, and language and literature instructor with three master’s degrees who loves Spanish and all things Mexico.