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WHAT DO GHOSTS EAT? It’s a question that’s probably haunted the more curious (or morbid) among the living since the time we’ve told spooky stories around bonfires. From ancient tales to contemporary ones, every culture has some version of a spectral figure who hungers for something: some devour appropriately horrifying meals of blood and flesh (human and animal), others roam the vicinities they frequented when living, looking for their favourite dishes but unable to eat them. Some ghosts are luckier though — at least on certain times of the year they get to eat and drink all the corporeal food they want. So what do these ghosts like to eat? Everything from salads to fried fish and bread, depending on their origins.
Fish — Bengal
Given the Bengali fondness for fish, it’s hardly surprising that it features in their depictions of ghostly fare as well. Food historian Priyadarshini Chatterjee notes at least three types of ghosts that are connected to seafood in folklore. First is the Mechho Bhoot, a ghoul who dogs fishermen just when they’ve brought in their catch, and frightens them into giving him a share. An even eerier story comes in the form of the Petni, a widowed or unmarried female haint, who follows men on their way home from the fishmarket, entreating them to give her their purchases. If they refuse, she drops the pleading and turns to violent threats and taunts. According to Chatterjee, the Petni’s hankering for fish harks back to the time when seafood was consumed only by married women in Bengal, whereas widows were banned from eating it. In fact, the eating of fish by married women had a cultural significance of its own: a woman had to eat at least a morsel of it a day to ensure her husband’s protection. From this belief, there arose another type of ghost: the Shakchunni, the ghost of a bride who longs for fish — or in other words, longs for her married life. In all this lore, the ghosts’ preference for how they like their fish varies, says Chatterjee: some like it raw, others fried or charred, and still others… rotten.
Fiambre — Guatemala
In Guatemala, families prepare an elaborate salad, made up of over 50 ingredients, for the dead on All Saints’ Day. Fiambre, which translates as “eaten cold”, isn’t made at any other time of the year and can be quite time-consuming to prepare. It could include a mishmash of a variety of ingredients, from baby corn to beef tongue. Food writer Kent Black once listed all the things he encountered in a serving of the salad: cabbage, chorizo, heart of palm, sardine and vinaigrette. Black further identified the three main types of fiambre: blanco (with a cabbage base), rojo (with beetroot), and verde (completely vegetarian). On All Saints’ Day, families carry containers of fiambre to graveyards, where they light candles for the departed spirits who haven’t been able to move on to the next realm, and set down the salad for them to eat. They also hold gatherings by the graves, with food and drink, imparting a cheerful air to what might otherwise be a sad occasion.
Sticky rice balls, Amok — Cambodia
Cambodia has an entire 15-day festival dedicated to hungry ghosts. It’s a time to appease whatever spirits still walk the earth, especially those of one’s ancestors. Like some Indian communities, those in Cambodia too prepare all of their deceased relatives’ favourite foods. These are presented to monks at the temple, who accept the dishes on behalf of the departed. The ghosts are assuaged with still more food: balls are formed of sticky rice and thrown into the fields for spirits who pass by that way. Amok is another dish that is prepared for the dead during the festival: white fish is steamed in a banana leaf in a custard-like curry prepared with coconut milk.
Pan de Muerto — Mexico
In a previous edition of this newsletter, we’d talked about the Mexican bread for the dead, a loaf that is baked only during the Dia De Los Muertos festival. The Pan de Muerto is a sweet, spongy bread available only during late October and early November in Mexico. Apart from the usual flour, butter, eggs, yeast and sugar, it also contains orange flowers or zest, which give it a distinctive flavour. As we reported, there are anywhere between 700-1,000 varieties of Pan de Muerto made across Mexico, each with a twist on the ingredients and shape. Read about it here.
