Lloyd actually had all of us and several people from the barrio over for Family Home Evening last month. Since Erin and Casey are still homeless, I figured it only made sense for me to go ahead and host. Besides, Gabi and Mari are out of town for a couple of weeks, so why not take advantage of having the place to myself.
I was on a personal campaign though this weekend to hunt down some "Pan de Los Muertos." The day after Halloween in many Catholic countries is All Saints Day, where people go to the graves of their ancestors to decorate and celebrate their life. They celebrated it in Hungary and it was really neat to see the cemetery lit up with candles, flowers, and all sort of decorations. There's no cemeteries close by here so I'm not sure I'll venture out to see one. But what I did want was some Bread of the Dead.
It's a type of sweet bread they make for this celebration that originated from Mexico. My family had a recipe that we made a few times and it is really good. Being a Catholic country, and celebrating the holiday, they should have some right?
I asked several Peruvians and they said no, they had never heard of it. But before I got discouraged I actually went to the grocery store and asked. The gentleman from the bakery at first gave me a strange look, but when I described it as a type of special bread they make for the holiday coming up on Tuesday he said, "Oh you mean pan de Wah-wah?"
What did he just say? I asked him what was that? Apparently All Saints Day is celebrated more in rural areas like Cuzco (where Macchu Picchu is). So they make a special type of bread there named pan de Wee-wee which is the Quetchua word for "baby." Quetchua is one of the few Inca languages that has stayed around and is still spoken in some communities in rural Peru. The bread is shaped like a baby with raisins for eyes. Pan de Los Muertos is also shaped into skulls, or bones.
He said they were preparing some and if I came back in an hour it should be ready. I bought two loaves and when I got home and tasted it, I realized it was exactly what I was looking for. If only it was available year round.
Mari and Gabbi's younger brother, Carlos, was visiting for a few hours that afternoon and between the two of us, we ate half the loaf in minutes.
I got another loaf for Gringo club and yes everyone loved it. I also got everyone hooked on the idea of gathering every month for dinner, so Erin and Casey (who will probably be moving into their place by the end of the week), said they would gladly host next month. Erin said she's already thinking about what to make for dinner.
Let the good times come!
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