According to ancient traditions in Mexico, at the beginning of November the barrier between the living and the dead worlds become blurry, and the souls of the dead have the chance to come back, and be celebrated by their families and friends. Ritual foods are prepared and offered to the souls of the dead in colourful altars, providing an opportunity for families to bond around the shared memories of those that are no longer with us.

Although most strongly identified with Mexico, Dia de Muertos is celebrated throughout Latin America and in many places with a Latino population. It has its origins in both Aztec tradition and Catholic observance of All Saints Day (Nov 1) and All Souls Day (Nov 2). Imagery of calacas (skeletons), calaveras (skulls) and Catrinas (a specific type of calavera: well-dressed, wealthy women in the fashion of the early 20th century) are the well known visual symbols of the holiday. Sweets, such as pan de muertos (bread of the dead) and spun-sugar candies like the famous calaveras de azucar (sugar skulls), are eaten or left for the dead in ofrendas (small, personal altars) or gravesites; the sweets offering a balance to the bitterness of death. Dia de los Muertos celebrates death as a part of the human experience. Tradition holds that the dead would be offended by grieving and sadness, so festivities honour them with laughter and joy.

As a local grower, miller and processor of artisanal Mexican corn, beans and chiles, Iván Wadgymar of Maizal has connection to Mexican culinary traditions that runs much deeper than most. Join Iván for a traditional holiday dinner and a deep dive into the foodways of Dia de los Muertos, delving into the ancient roots of the ingredients and traditions in Mexican and cuisine — the culture in the agriculture. The menu features a range of authentic ingredients grown by Ivan himself, and processed by hand in the traditional manner.

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Sopa de Tortilla

Tortilla soup is a popular Mexico City variant of the traditional Mexican sopa Azteca. A rich, chile-infused tomato and onion broth is seasoned with epazote, a distinctive Mexican herb, and ladled over crispy strips of fried corn tortilla and served with a variety of garnishes like pasilla chiles, chicharrón, avocado, queso panela, lime, and Mexican crema.

Tamales (turkey or vegan)

Tamales are an essential and ancient Mexican dish – soft corn meal dough (masa) stuffed with a flavourful filling, wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves and steamed. Portable and self-contained, tamales are a popular street food with countless variations found all across Mexico. These tamales come filled with with turkey mole, mushrooms with salsa verde, or beans, and showcase the beautiful heritage corn that Iván grows and nixtamalizes himself,

Frijoles Refritos

Mistranslated as “refried beans”, this traditional dish is made by mashing and reheating cooked beans along with additional seasonings. The result is a rich and luscious dip that features the organic black turtle beans that Ivan grows on his farm.

Ensalada de Nopales

The nopal is an indigenous Mexican cactus that produces the pink, sweet fruit known as tuna (prickly pear). The paddles are also widely used as a vegetable, such as in this cool, tangy salad with onion and tomato.

Atole Champurrado

Atole is an ancient, pre-Columbian beverage made with toasted corn flour. When mixed with Mexican chocolate, raw piloncillo sugar, and spices it’s known as champurrado. This hot and creamy drink is commonly served alongside tamales at holiday gatherings or from street food carts and stalls early in the morning.

Pan de Muerto

This ‘Bread of the Dead’ is one of the most iconic of the Dia de Muertos traditions. A sweetened soft bread, perfumed with anise and shaped like a bun, they are sometimes decorated with bone-shaped pieces to represent the deceased, or with a baked tear drop to represent goddess Chīmalmā’s tears for the living.

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$79 +HST

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Iván Wadgymar has some unfamiliar job titles for a Torontonian: tortillero, molinero, and sembrador, each one taking him deeper into the heart of an ancient culinary tradition. As a tortillero, he runs Maizal Tortilleria making artisanal Mexican tortillas and totopos (aka tortilla chips) using locally grown organic corn. As a molinero he processes raw corn using the traditional nixtamal method that transforms it into the raw masa dough that is the foundation of much of indigenous Mesoamerican cooking, making it more digestible and nutritious in the process. As a sembrador (sower), he grows his own heirloom varietals of corn and other vegetables, herbs and spices in the sustainable permaculture tradition of the small milpa farms of Mexico. Together, he connects land, seed, process and product in a way that is a celebration of both our local terroir and his hispanic heritage, putting the culture back into agriculture. Along the way he both protects and reveals the unique flavours of a culinary tradition that is both ancient and very much alive.

@maizalto

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The Depanneur is a place where Interesting Food Things Happen. For more than a decade The Dep has been showcasing Toronto’s remarkable culinary diversity through thousands of unique food events as well as the forthcoming Depanneur Cookbook, featuring 100 recipes from 100 cooks. After more than 10 years at its iconic College Street location, The Dep is now bringing all new Interesting Food Things to exciting venues all across the GTA.

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