- Jamaican Easter tradition: bun and cheese, a sweet-savoury delicacy
- Restaurants worldwide prepare spiced buns and vibrant preserved cheese
- Originating from British colonialism, bun has evolved into cultural pride
Soft cheese sandwiched between two layers of a moist, spiced bun infused with fruit constitutes a savoury-sweet Jamaican Easter tradition.
Restaurants and lunch counters in Jamaican communities worldwide decorate their glass pastry cases annually with buns infused with cinnamon and nutmeg, in anticipation of Easter. Concurrently, Caribbean markets stock their shelves with vibrantly coloured preserved cheese. While the onset of spring may be formally marked by the emergence of milder temperatures and blossoming plants, I consider the season to have truly begun – having been raised in a Caribbean household – when these two elements converge to create bun and cheese.
Upon initial inspection, the amalgamation of sweet, spiced buns—which are loaves cut into segments rather than conventional “buns”—and a savoury soft yellow cheese sandwiched together might appear to be an unconventional pairing. However, it has the same salty-sweet appeal as the charcuterie classic of marmalade and cheese or a chocolate-covered pretzel.
Every individual portion of an aesthetically pleasing spiced bun is adorned with glazed candied cherries and dried raisins, which are candied citrus peel referred to as “mixed peel.” To impart sweetness, a mixture of brown sugar and molasses, agave nectar, or guava jam is utilised. Frequently used to impart colour to stews, browning sauce is a syrupy liquid condiment composed of water and burnt brown sugar that frequently deepens the food’s brown hue. Numerous variations of spiced bun attain their distinctive height with the aid of a dark, robust lager.
The savorous cheese that is positioned between the buns is, to put it precisely, an ideal fusion of American and mild cheddar. Tastee Cheese, the signature processed cheese brand utilised in the preparation of this delicacy today, slices effortlessly.
Easter is analogous to the winter holidays in Jamaica, where syrupy-sweet ginger sorrel and alcoholic black cake hold significant historical value, as does bun and cheese. While it is accessible and suitable for year-round consumption, the dish truly sparkles during the holiday season.
“Developing up with it can make it difficult to forget.” “It’s a highlight in Jamaica… you can smell it – the aroma is simply different, and the texture is different,” Golden Krust’s first Caribbean restaurant franchise in the United States, Golden Krust, vice president of marketing Steven Clarke, recalls. Clarke is additionally the grandson of Mavis and Ephraim Hawthorne, the individuals who established Hawthorne & Sons Bakery in 1949 along the “Border,” the area that linked the southwestern parishes of St Elizabeth and Westmoreland in Jamaica. Golden Krust has utilised the spiced bun formula that the two individuals created for over seven decades.
Clarke’s recollection of her grandfather, Papa, standing by the queue and handling each bun serves as evidence of the significance of bun texture—namely, that which ought to be sufficiently moist and dense to conform and retain its shape.
Although bun and cheese is currently a profoundly ingrained part of Jamaican culture, its origins are likely to be British colonialism in the 17th century. The crucifix iced hot cross buns, the closest ancestor to the Jamaican bun, were a similar baked product prepared with dried fruit and spices, consumed on product Friday, hence the name. Initially composed of a straightforward flour-water mixture, the cross eventually transformed into a confectionery garnish comprising milk and powdered sugar, which imparted a subtle sweetness to the bun.
The rhyme reflects the tradition of selling hot cross buns on the streets on Good Friday when the buns were reportedly distributed as alms to the impoverished because they contained medicinal properties.
However, the custom of a bun being ingested exclusively during religious ceremonies predates the British tradition. As an emblematic gesture towards the harvest, miniature loaves of bread were presented to the deity Demeter in ancient Greece. Currently, on Easter, a sweet bread known as tsoureki is traditionally prepared. This braided bread is seasoned with mahlab (a spice made from cherry seeds), mastic, and citrus zest. Tsoureki, which resemble cherry-topped variations of the spiced bun, may be adorned with red-dyed eggs to represent the blood of Jesus Christ.
Although the hot cross bun is commonly linked to Christian traditions such as Easter and Good Friday, its historical roots transcend these dates. The bread bearing the cross was regarded as a sacrifice to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar in ancient Assyria. These were frequently adorned with inscriptions that represented the four-quarters of the Moon. In a similar vein, British hot cross buns were entangled in folklore and superstitions. One such legend contends that a bun cooked on Good Friday would remain undamaged, while the mere presence of one within one’s household would safeguard it from fire and guarantee favourable outcomes for all bread baked within. Presently, the treat is associated with a broader meaning of “protection” as a metaphor for fellowship, or “breaking bread” with family and friends, according to Jamaican custom.
A centuries-old sense of Jamaican culinary pride is also embodied in the spiced bun. Associate Professor of African Diaspora History at Tulane University, Laura Adderley, identified a correlation between the Jamaicans’ deep affection for the cuisine and their Caribbeans’ sense of pride in innovating it.
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“Interesting is how people in the Caribbean, and Jamaica in particular, have been [active] in this practice of making – creating both a regional culture before independence and a national culture over the past century. A Jamaican sense of proprietorship has developed regarding [spiced bun].
Clarke asserts that the evolution of buns and cheese is a fundamental aspect of Jamaican culinary culture. “We applied our own flair to it, our culinary ingenuity, to make it our own,” he indicated. Similar to how curry, which originated in India, and jerk spice, which was adapted from the Indigenous Tono people of the Caribbean, a new staple was created by Jamaicans by combining seasonings that were abundant and popular with those that were already present. Spiced buns are even seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg, which are also utilised in a variety of Jamaican dishes.
“[We went] from honey to more of a molasses approach, which is why the colour is what it is these days,” according to Clarke. Thereafter, I incorporated some novel components, including nutmeg, vanilla, stout flavouring, and cherries, to truly distinguish it.” Thus, that essentially distinguishes us. A historical practice observed among Jamaicans is the enhancement of what is already excellent.
And its influence continues to grow as the dish continues to develop.
