SpiceLines

In Mexico, gaily decorated skulls made of white sugar and meringue powder are placed on family altars for the Day of the Dead. I found this one at Melissa Guerra's Tienda de Cocina in San Antonio, along with the papel picado in the background.

As soon as I unwrapped the crinkly plastic, I inhaled the sweet, sultry scent of white sugar and meringue. Some deeply atavistic instinct stirred….pure blissed out sugar craving!

The skull, more winsome than scary, was a kaleidoscope of fanciful swirls, flowers and stars. It had silver dragees for eyeballs and a heart-shaped red hot was pressed right into the middle of its forehead.

Definitely cute. And edible.

In Mexico, it’s almost time for Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, as families prepare to greet the souls of the dear departed when they return to earth at midnight on October 31. In places like Oaxaca, sumptuous ofrendas or altars are adorned with photos, toys, flowers, fruit, chocolate, bread and other foods that the dead enjoyed during their time on earth. Colorful calaveras de azucar (sugar skulls) inscribed with the names of the deceased are often placed there too.

I love the idea of grouping a few sugar skulls on a hall table amongst flickering votives and the last crimson roses from the garden. Add a pale blue-green hubbard squash, some ghostly white pumpkins and a photograph or two of your own late lamented, and you have the beginnings of a personal ofrenda.

Now what to eat? In Mexico it’s traditional to cook seasonal fruits and vegetables in a sweet syrup of piloncillo (raw brown sugar sold in cones) and Ceylon cinnamon until they are soft and translucent. On the Day of the Dead, these “candied” delights are set out on family altars with other foods to tempt the spirits of the departed. When it’s all over, the living get to devour the feast.

Right here on Spicelines there’s a wonderful recipe for Pumpkin Squash in Syrup (Calabaza en Dulce) which is adapted from Susana Trilling’s Oaxaca cookbook, Seasons of My Heart. I used Seminole, an heirloom, but you can substitute almost any firm, sweet pumpkin squash. Once cooked, the squash acquires a deliciously fruity flavor—perfect for dessert, served in a glass compote layered with rum-spiked whipped cream.

But don’t delay. Is that your doorbell ringing? Midnight approaches…