The Mouth-Watering Sauce Traditionally Eaten On Dia De Los Muertos

Even if you don't celebrate Dia de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) yourself, you've likely become more familiar with the holiday over the years thanks to films like "Coco" and "The Book of Life." Images of the vibrant costumes, art, decorations, candles, and foods associated with this two-day celebration are hard to forget.

Just about every colorful element of the Dia de los Muertos tradition serves a purpose in the celebration of life and death, even the food, as Big 7 Travel explains. In fact, food plays a major role in the holiday, which begins on November 1 and ends on November 2 every year; according to NPR, many of the foods on the altar (or ofrenda) of a deceased loved one represent the foods that the person enjoyed when they were alive. And one particular sauce is a staple on the Day of the Dead because it is intended not just for the living relatives to enjoy with fond memories, but also to coax the souls of the departed into visiting, Lola's Cocina explains.

So what is it about this mouth-watering sauce that allegedly makes both the living and the dead love it so much, and why is it such an important part of Dia de los Muertos?

Among the unique dishes surrounding the Day of the Dead is the savory mole negro. A richly-flavored sauce, mole negro is associated with the Mexican state of Oaxaca, but Le Cordon Bleu claims its popularity has expanded north of the border. Once it's cooked, the smooth, velvety sauce can be poured over roasted chicken, turkey, and many other foods, per NYT Cooking.

Mole negro, which Big 7 Travel describes as the "deepest and strongest of all the mole sauces," is considered a complex sauce for good reason. Among the long list of ingredients needed to make it are dried chiles for the base; NYT Cooking claims the sauce's color and some of the delicious flavor come from the extra step of burning the dried chiles before rinsing and soaking them. This creates that smoky, desirable taste that so many people love — but there's a lot more involved in the recipe than that.

As Le Cordon Bleu confirms, for one version, you'll need a whopping 30 ingredients to make the mole negro. Various mole recipes might include chicken, tomatoes, garlic cloves, almonds, peanuts, raisins, cinnamon, and even chocolate. Big 7 Travel claims the specifics differ between each family, but no matter what, the sauce typically takes several hours to make, according to Le Cordon Bleu. This is why it's typically reserved for special occasions, like weddings and Dia de los Muertos, says Vera Mexicana, where the hours it takes to make it are their own form of love and celebration.