SEASONAL FOODS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Have you ever wondered what foods people around the world enjoy during Halloween, Día de los Muertos, and All Saints’ Day? In the United States, we usually eat things like pumpkin pie, caramel apples, and pumpkin bread around Halloween, but different countries have their own unique traditions and foods that they enjoy during the autumn holidays. 

HALLOWEEN

Barmbrack

Barmbrack is a type of yeast bread from Ireland that is commonly eaten on Halloween and is usually made with dried fruits and spices. It is often eaten toasted with butter.

AMANA COLONIES FALL SWEET TREATS; PHOTO BY JOSH GAETA

Traditionally, a pea, a stick, a piece of cloth, a coin, a ring, and a bean are baked into the barmbrack to be used in a fortune-telling game. In this game, the item you received in your slice of the bread would determine your future. According to the article “Barmbrack”, if you received the pea, you would not get married that year. If you received the stick, you would have an unhappy marriage. If you received the piece of cloth, you would have bad luck. If you received the coin, you would have good luck. If you received the ring, you would get married that year. Finally, if you received the bean, you would be poor in your future.

Many people make their own barmbrack at home, but there are also stores that sell it. These store-bought barmbracks usually have toy rings baked inside to allow people to enjoy the fortune-telling game without having to make their own barmbrack.

Bonfire Toffee

Bonfire toffee is a bitter toffee from the United Kingdom that is commonly handed out to children on Halloween. One of the most important ingredients in bonfire toffee is black treacle, which is similar to molasses. Black treacle gives bonfire toffee its bitter flavor, which makes it unique. Additional ingredients, like lemon or peppermint, are sometimes added to the bonfire toffee, but it is also eaten plain. 

Bonfire toffee isn’t just associated with Halloween, but it is also associated with Guy Fawkes Night (also called Bonfire Night), which is a holiday commonly celebrated in Great Britain on November 5th. According to the article “Guy Fawkes Night”, on this day, people have bonfires and watch fireworks.

In addition to black treacle, bonfire toffee is also made with butter, sugar, and occasionally white vinegar, according to the article “Bonfire Toffee”. Black treacle is what turns bonfire toffee a dark color, and when cheaper bonfire toffee doesn’t have enough black treacle, companies add brown or black food coloring instead.

Bonfire toffee is usually sold in sweet shops. At these shops, you can buy bonfire toffee on a stick or in sheets. 

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

Pan de Muerto

Pan de muerto (bread of the dead), is a type of sweet bread from Mexico that is eaten on Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). While pan de muerto originates from Mexico, it is also eaten in other places where Día de los Muertos is celebrated, like the United States. 

Pan de muerto is circular, representing the circle of life, and it is usually topped with bone-shaped dough. The “bones” represent someone who is deceased. A sphere of dough can also be baked on the pan de muerto, representing the skull of the deceased.

PAN DE MUERTO COMES IN MANY FORMS; PHOTO BY LILI NANDELL

According to the article “Pan de Muerto”, teardrop-shaped dough is also sometimes baked on the pan de muerto to represent either the tears of Chīmalmā, an Aztec goddess, or tears shed for the deceased depending on the region.

On Día de los Muertos, pan de muerto is often one of many foods left on the ofrenda (altar where offerings for the deceased are left) of a departed relative for their spirit as they visit Earth. Depending on the family, the pan de muerto and other foods left on the ofrenda are often eaten after the spirits have departed, both to avoid food waste and as a way to honor the deceased.

Pan de muerto is flavored with orange zest and/or anise seeds, and can be decorated with sugar. The sugar used to decorate the pan de muerto can represent many different things depending on the region. It can represent the tears shed for the deceased or the dust of the deceased. Additionally, if the sugar is dyed pink or red, it can represent blood from ancient Aztec sacrifices or the lost life of an adult, according to the article “Pan de Muerto 一 Bread of the Dead”.

Pan de muerto can be found in most bakeries in Mexico around Día de los Muertos, and it can also be found in Mexican markets and bakeries in the United States. 

Fiambre

Fiambre is a salad from Guatemala that is often eaten on Día de los Muertos and All Saints’ Day. Recipes for fiambre are usually passed down from generation to generation, so there are many different kinds of fiambre, each using different ingredients. 

Fiambre is one of the dishes that are often placed on a deceased relative’s ofrenda. Because so many families bring so many different kinds of fiambre to Día de los Muertos celebrations, recipes are often shared among families to create new varieties of fiambre. 

Popular ingredients that are often added to fiambre include different kinds of sausage, pickled baby corn, pickled onion, beets, pacaya flower, different kinds of cheese, olives, chicken, and brussels sprouts, according to the article “Fiambre”. While almost any ingredient can be added to fiambre, there are certain variants that only use specific ingredients, like fiambre rojo (with beets), fiambre blanco (without beets), and fiambre verde (vegetarian). 

Fiambre can be purchased pre-made in some stores in Guatemala around Día de los Muertos, but it is usually made at home. 

ALL SAINT'S DAY

Huesos de Santo

Huesos de santo (Saint’s bones) is a dessert from Spain that is eaten around All Saints’ Day. This dessert is typically made from marzipan and can be filled with many different fillings. As the name suggests, huesos de santo represents bones, with the filling representing bone marrow. 

Traditionally, huesos de santo is filled with a sweet egg yolk paste made by mixing egg yolks and sugar, but more fillings have come to be in modern times. Popular fillings include plum, coconut, angel hair (made from caramelized fruit pulp fibers), jam, chocolate, praline, and yogurt, according to the article “Dulce Español Típico Del Día de Todos Los Santos”. 

The part of huesos de santo that is made from marzipan also comes in many different flavors, including egg yolk, chocolate, butter, and coffee.

Huesos de santo can be decorated with food coloring, a sugar glaze, and lemon juice. It is sold in many pastry shops, where you can find both traditional and experimental flavors. 

Fave dei Morti

Fave dei morti (fava beans of the dead), is a type of cookie from Italy that is eaten around All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Although the name mentions beans, there aren’t actually any beans in fave dei morti. 

In ancient Rome, people believed that the souls of the dead were able to live in fava beans. During funerals, people would throw fava beans over their shoulders in order to honor the person who had died, according to an article by Pina Bresciani. In modern times, fave dei morti are cookies that are made to look like beans. While these cookies are not thrown over the shoulders of mourners at funerals, they are still a symbol of the dead.

Fave dei morti are typically small, but can be made in larger sizes. They are flavored with lemon zest, cinnamon, and almonds. They are traditionally circular or elliptic and beige in color, but can be decorated with food coloring—usually brown, pink, red, green, and yellow. They can also be decorated with powdered sugar. 

Fave dei morti can be found in many Italian bakeries around All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, but many people prefer to make them at home instead of buying them from a shop.