25 Items Tagged

Funeral Food

Developed by Farrell Monaco, our Black Banquet included dark loaves of bread, beans, dates, and fish—all inspired by an ancient tombstone.

Recreating an Ancient Roman Dinner of Death

To investigate the legend of Emperor Domitian's Black Banquet, we made our own macabre feast.

Sam O'Brien & Farrell Monaco November 29, 2024

"It was just an acknowledgment of the love that went into her baking," Richard Dawson says of his mother's recipe epitaph.

The Family Recipes That Live On in Cemeteries

Around the world, recipe gravestones tell stories of love, grief, and remembrance.

Sam O'Brien October 31, 2023

Pure 100-percent cacao is bitter and only slightly sweet.

The Surprisingly Sacred Roots of Chocolate

Among the Maya, cacao has served as a powerful symbol from womb to tomb.

Sam O'Brien February 14, 2023

The cookbook also includes instructions on decorating your own sugar skulls. Don't eat these: You'll chip a tooth.

A Cookbook for Dining With the Dead

Learn to make amaranth skulls, “buried” tamales, and other regional Día de Muertos recipes.

Sam O'Brien October 28, 2022

The pie earned its place at the funerary table with luxurious, non-seasonal ingredients.

The Death of Pennsylvania’s Forgotten Funeral Pie

The sweet-yet-somber treat was the star of extravagant 19th-century funeral feasts.

Sam O'Brien August 22, 2022

An early inspiration for macabre banquets was a story about a hellish feast hosted by a Roman emperor.

Before Haunted Houses, There Were Hell Banquets

The macabre feasts have their roots in ancient Rome.

Sam O'Brien November 17, 2021

Long fringe and white paper often represented the death of a child, while black paper and short fringe was used for adults.

objects of intrigue

The Lost Art of Swedish Funeral Confectionery

These beautiful mementos of mourning have all but disappeared.

Sam O'Brien October 29, 2020

Elite chefs in Thailand collect funeral books for their recipes.

In Thailand, Funeral Cookbooks Preserve Recipes and Memories

Though their origins are tragic, the books provide invaluable inspiration.

Chawadee Nualkhair April 24, 2020

The peak of cheesy, starchy comfort food.

A Guide to the World’s Most Comforting Foods of Grief

In an age of distance, we can still connect in the kitchen to mourn, memorialize, and heal.

Sam O'Brien April 20, 2020

Pork belly with xanducata.

Morelia, Mexico

LU Cocina Michoacana

This upscale restaurant specializing in Michoacán cuisine serves sauces tied to important life events.

Around Halloween, visitors to the Merchant's House Museum can pick up a funeral biscuit to take home.

Eat Your Sorrow With These Victorian Funeral Biscuits

Ingredients often included molasses, caraway seeds, ginger, and grief.

Jessica Leigh Hester October 30, 2019

Ham Salad

This retro sandwich filling was once a convenient, comforting funeral food.

Hades and Persephone, with Persephone holding a branch of parsley (or perhaps celery).

Ancient Greek Funerals Were Decked Out in Celery

It was a powerful symbol of death—and victory.

Anne Ewbank October 23, 2018

This sandwich cake comes with prawns, egg, caviar, and cucumber.

Smörgåstårta

Meet Sweden's savory “sandwich cake.”

Tchoukoutou

In Togolese markets, locals socialize over gourds of this sweet-and-sour sorghum beer.

A crow feeds on a family's offering of boiled rice, ghee, jaggery, fruits, and vegetables.

Feeding Crows for the Shradh

In this Hindu ritual, families feed crows who represent deceased relatives.

Meat piled high and served on a trami.

Wazwan

This Kashmiri feast features 36 dishes and takes more than two hours to eat.

Amish Funeral Pie

So sweet you forget to cry.