Alfeñique

Alfeñique, or Alfenim in

Today, the main production center for alfeñique figures are

The paste is prepared by mixing powdered sugar with chautle, a vegetable adhesive, and lemon. Egg whites are beaten separately then folded into the sugar. Vegetable dyes are added for color. The unworked portion is covered with a damp cloth to keep it from hardening. Molds are prepared by carefully cleaning them, then dusting them with flour so the sugar mixture does not stick. The sugar paste is flattened into thin circles which are pressed into the molds, then left to dry for 24 hours.^[3]

The two halves of the figure are then taken from the molds and joined together with more sugar paste, slightly thinned with water. This is left to dry again before decoration. Decorative elements can include cotton balls, sequins, sugar paste which is shaped and attached, plastic jewels and many other items.^[3]

Variations

The different regions make their alfeñique figures according to local traditions and ingredients. Many families have been involved in making figurines for generations and some use molds that go back just as far. Apart from their popularity during Day of the Dead celebrations, many families display the objects, particularly the skulls, in their homes.^[4] In Oaxaca, they commonly take the shape of skulls, crowns, crucifixes, the dead and are made from crystallized sugar with honey in the center. In the State of Mexico, the most common objects are coffins, hearses, deer, sheep, angels, fruit, and skulls made of white sugar paste.^[4] In Puebla, the most common objects are skulls and coffins and the main ingredients include almonds, peanuts and pumpkin seeds mixed with sugar and egg, in the style of an almond paste.^[5]

References