Review
Dining with the Dead is a beautiful illumination of the soul of a culture―its depth, its connectivity to something bigger than themselves. Many of us don’t confront our mortality with celebration, gratitude. These pages are teachers, and I for one will not be late for class. —Chris Bianco, James Beard Award–winning chef and restaurateur
Beautiful, superb, and magical, Dining with the Dead transports us to another world through hundreds of colorful, pristine, and powerful images of altars and offerings from one of the most renowned celebrations and traditions in the world. The wonderful recipes, patiently collected throughout the years, show the pride with which women have passed, from one generation to the next, the secrets of a cuisine . . . that merges the pre-Hispanic and colonial origins of Mexico. Mariana Nuño Ruiz and Ian McEnroe’s book will make you part of this tradition, move you to tears, and urge you to cook for your dead, for your loved ones, and for yourself, and to rejoice in the grandiosity of this unique celebration. ―Adriana Pacheco, Hablemos Escritoras podcast
What a treat to read Dining With the Dead. This is the rare, beautiful book that is enjoyable, educational, and guaranteed to make you hungry. Secrets are revealed with respect and love throughout the book. Like a good trip to Mexico, Dining With the Dead celebrates life. ―Steve Sando, founder, Rancho Gordo
Dining with the Dead is more than a lavish, full-color illustrated cookbook of traditional Mexican recipes for celebrating the Day of the Dead. Dining with the Dead also draws the reader into Mexican cultural traditions for honoring loved ones who have passed on, including the origins of the holiday, altars and ofrendas (offerings), what it means to hold a night vigil at a cemetery in Mexico, and more. Connoisseurs of homemade Mexican cuisine will especially appreciate the step-by-step instructions for finding and preparing special ingredients. Dining with the Dead is an excellent resource for cooks seeking to broaden their cultural appreciation and understanding, and a treasure to simply page through. Highly recommended! — Midwest Book Review
The top of my list is one that I backed on Kickstarter, and it's finally on the way here. Titled Dining with the Dead, I received my advance copy this week, and was stunned. Authors Mariana Nuño Ruiz and Ian McEnroe have produced one of the finest Mexican cookbooks I've ever seen, with a focus on festival foods around Mexico's Day of the Dead. They also set their research in one of my favorite regions in all of Mexico, the crafts-making towns around Lake Pátzcuaro in Michoacán. With step-by-step instructions for making each dish (and component), I believe this book would be a prime addition to any cookbook library. —Celia Sack, Omnivore Books on Food, San Francisco
About the Author
Mariana Nuño Ruiz was born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and comes from a long line of strong women. After working as an architect for many years, she acquired a culinary arts degree in Arizona. Since then, she has cooked in restaurants, catered, baked, and sculpted and decorated cakes. Ian McEnroe earned his fine arts degree from the University of Texas. He is an award-winning photographer, photographic consultant, and instructor. Together, in 2013 Ian and Mariana co-created the blog, Yes, more please!, where they combine their recipes, photography, writing, design, and production. In 2014 the Austin Chronicle named their blog one of the top ten local cooking blogs, and their blog was an official participant at Expo Milano 2015. They develop recipes for national and local brands, and their work has appeared in Huffpost, Food52, James Beard Foundation Instagram, The Kitchn, Country Living, the Today Show website, the Austin American Statesman, and more. Ian and Mariana are happily married and live in Austin, Texas.
Product origin: United States
