Colada Morada and Guaguas de Pan

Festival

For the DÍA DE LOS DIFUNTOS on 2 NOVEMBER: COLADA MORADA, a thick purple drink of black maize flour (harina de maíz negro) with mortiño — the wild Andean blueberry that fruits at exactly this season — blackberry, naranjilla, pineapple, babaco, ishpingo, cinnamon, clove and the aromatic leaves arrayuán, hierbaluisa and cedrón. Drunk hot, with GUAGUAS DE PAN — "bread babies", sweet loaves shaped and iced as swaddled infants. ⚠ THE PAIRING IS OLDER THAN ITS CHRISTIAN FRAME. Andean practice included visiting and feeding the dead, and mortiño’s fruiting season anchors the date to the agricultural year as much as to the church calendar. Families eat it at the cemetery, at the graveside.