Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of life and death that begins each year on November 1 and ends on November 2. The holiday has a large emphasis on food, and there is one particular sauce that is considered a staple for both living relatives to enjoy as well as to coax the souls of the departed into visiting.

Among the unique dishes surrounding the Day of the Dead is the savory mole negro sauce. A richly-flavored sauce, mole negro is associated with the Mexican state of Oaxaca and is considered to be a strong and complex sauce with a long list of ingredients.

The mole negro recipe has a whopping 30 ingredients with everything from chicken and tomatoes, to cinnamon and chocolate, and is reserved for special occasions as it takes hours to make. The base of the special sauce is dried chiles which are burned, rinsed, and soaked to create a delicious, smoky, and unique flavor.