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Dining with the Dead: A Feast for the Souls on Day of the Dead - A Mexican Cookbook
Dining with the Dead is an unforgettable cultural and culinary odyssey. Traditional, celebratory Mexican food is the soul of this one-of-a-kind cookbook. Make tamales, pozoles, pan de muerto, and many other festive, iconic dishes. Learn about altars, sugar skulls, and decorations. Unlock the essence of chiles, make scratch tortillas, and perfect the king of the moles.
• 112+ delicious recipes
• 540+ beautiful and mouthwatering photos
• 8 x 10–inch hardcover
• Ingredients and how to find them and treat them
• Numbered instructions
• Photographic step-by-step instructions
• Homemade foods, created from scratch
• Crafting instructions included as well
• Learn the origins of Día de Muertos
• Learn about altars and ofrendas (offerings)
• Venture into the night vigil at the cemetery in Mexico
• 112+ delicious recipes
• 540+ beautiful and mouthwatering photos
• 8 x 10–inch hardcover
• Ingredients and how to find them and treat them
• Numbered instructions
• Photographic step-by-step instructions
• Homemade foods, created from scratch
• Crafting instructions included as well
• Learn the origins of Día de Muertos
• Learn about altars and ofrendas (offerings)
• Venture into the night vigil at the cemetery in Mexico
384 pages, Hardcover
Published October 10, 2021
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66 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 11, 2022
One of my favorite cookbooks of the last year came as a surprise. I had not expected a book about the “Day of the Dead” to be such a magnificent cookbook, but there it was.
I met Mariana Nuno Ruiz and Ian McEnroe this year when I interviewed them for my podcast. I loved talking to the couple and felt an instant connection with them. Mariana and Ian are warm, fun people full of great stories. It’s no surprise that the book “Dining with the Dead” would knock me out of my socks. Full of great recipes and photographs, there’s everything to love about this book.
With continual reading, I started to enjoy the instructions provided by Mariana with each recipe. There is a real love of the food being made in this cookbook, and the teaching that comes through is exceptional. The descriptions of the components of the foods of Mexico and their unique cooking techniques are the stars of this book and make it one of those books that stand out in my collection.
I don’t normally say that I have favorite books, but I have to say that this is a book I would be buried with. The photos in the book are so gorgeous that I want to eat the ones of food! (I’m not convinced I can’t, but I have not gotten to that point so far.) This book has a beloved place in my collection and gets used almost weekly for the cookies I make for my wife. I used it today as well to make dinner. This book is more than just a cookbook; it's a window into a cultural celebration with which I love and feel a huge connection. In addition, the cookbook is one of the best works on Mexican cuisine I have ever read. I would put this book beside the works of Rick Bayless, Diana Kennedy, and others.
The book is centered around the Day of the Dead ( Día de Muertos or Día de los Muertos). This day is celebrated on November 1 and originated in Mexico, where people of Mexican heritage elsewhere observe it. Although associated with the Western observance of All Souls’ Day, it has a much less solemn tone. It is portrayed as a holiday of joyful celebration rather than a time of mourning. This multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects to loved ones who have died. These celebrations can even take on a humorous tone as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed. Typical emblems of this holiday may be things you have seen, like Calaveras (skulls, especially Sugar Skulls), Pan de Muerto (bread of the Dead), and garlands made using cut paper called Papel Picado Mexicano. Additionally, there are altars called “Oferendas” with food and familiar items for the dead to see and know they are loved and missed.
The first half of this book is dedicated to the history of the Day of the Dead and the cultural and historical components of this celebration. The second half is devoted to the cuisine of Mexico, pre-colonization, and post-colonization. This section has many chapters on mains, moles, baked goods, and sweets. The style of the food writing is magnificent, and Mariana gives a loving description of the cooking process of each recipe. Additionally, Ian has created wonderfully descriptive photographs of the food that show each item in its glory.
The book's last portion shows the creative crafts of this celebration and how to create paper garlands, flowers, and other items to decorate the altars made for the dead.
The recipes, as I have said, are top-notch. Still, the particular portions of the book that deal with tortilla making, tamale making, and Mole making are head and shoulders above any other cookbook. It is precisely this passion and attention to detail that makes this book exemplary. It’s simply the best at what it sets out to do, highlighting the best details of a celebration loved by many and featuring the cuisine of a region used in this celebration to honor the dead. No book rivals this work in its scope, and it’s specificity. It’s simply the best.
I met Mariana Nuno Ruiz and Ian McEnroe this year when I interviewed them for my podcast. I loved talking to the couple and felt an instant connection with them. Mariana and Ian are warm, fun people full of great stories. It’s no surprise that the book “Dining with the Dead” would knock me out of my socks. Full of great recipes and photographs, there’s everything to love about this book.
With continual reading, I started to enjoy the instructions provided by Mariana with each recipe. There is a real love of the food being made in this cookbook, and the teaching that comes through is exceptional. The descriptions of the components of the foods of Mexico and their unique cooking techniques are the stars of this book and make it one of those books that stand out in my collection.
I don’t normally say that I have favorite books, but I have to say that this is a book I would be buried with. The photos in the book are so gorgeous that I want to eat the ones of food! (I’m not convinced I can’t, but I have not gotten to that point so far.) This book has a beloved place in my collection and gets used almost weekly for the cookies I make for my wife. I used it today as well to make dinner. This book is more than just a cookbook; it's a window into a cultural celebration with which I love and feel a huge connection. In addition, the cookbook is one of the best works on Mexican cuisine I have ever read. I would put this book beside the works of Rick Bayless, Diana Kennedy, and others.
The book is centered around the Day of the Dead ( Día de Muertos or Día de los Muertos). This day is celebrated on November 1 and originated in Mexico, where people of Mexican heritage elsewhere observe it. Although associated with the Western observance of All Souls’ Day, it has a much less solemn tone. It is portrayed as a holiday of joyful celebration rather than a time of mourning. This multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects to loved ones who have died. These celebrations can even take on a humorous tone as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed. Typical emblems of this holiday may be things you have seen, like Calaveras (skulls, especially Sugar Skulls), Pan de Muerto (bread of the Dead), and garlands made using cut paper called Papel Picado Mexicano. Additionally, there are altars called “Oferendas” with food and familiar items for the dead to see and know they are loved and missed.
The first half of this book is dedicated to the history of the Day of the Dead and the cultural and historical components of this celebration. The second half is devoted to the cuisine of Mexico, pre-colonization, and post-colonization. This section has many chapters on mains, moles, baked goods, and sweets. The style of the food writing is magnificent, and Mariana gives a loving description of the cooking process of each recipe. Additionally, Ian has created wonderfully descriptive photographs of the food that show each item in its glory.
The book's last portion shows the creative crafts of this celebration and how to create paper garlands, flowers, and other items to decorate the altars made for the dead.
The recipes, as I have said, are top-notch. Still, the particular portions of the book that deal with tortilla making, tamale making, and Mole making are head and shoulders above any other cookbook. It is precisely this passion and attention to detail that makes this book exemplary. It’s simply the best at what it sets out to do, highlighting the best details of a celebration loved by many and featuring the cuisine of a region used in this celebration to honor the dead. No book rivals this work in its scope, and it’s specificity. It’s simply the best.
November 4, 2021
Absolutely amazing! I got this book as a gift for a friend and ended up keeping it for myself! The art is stunning, the history, vibrant, and the recipes are to die for! I'm blow away!
February 25, 2023
Rich and colorful, deep history of Dia de los Muertos, Aztec to Catholic, yesterday to today. While this book has recipes (many quite complex) I wouldn't think of it as a cookbook. Would be great reference material for a colorful report. I need to grow some Mexican Marigolds this summer ;)
June 24, 2023
Pretty book to read, but many of the recipes are impracticable as they call for ingredients that are difficult to find. I mean seriously...where the hell am I supposed to get epazote and mulato chiles?
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews