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About Busha Browne Products
The full and lively flavours of Busha Browne's authentic Jamaican products are achieved from the intrinsic qualities of our fresh ingredients themselves - the great variety of Jamaican fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs -and not from the addition of sodium or other commercial enhancers.
Prepared in small batches, Busha Browne's sauces, jellies, chutneys and seasonings are produced from recipes created over 200 years ago.
The Jamaican-grown Scotch Bonnet pepper is highly recognized for its combination of intense flavour and heat. This respected member of the Capsicum family is an essential ingredient in all our products formulated with pepper.
Other local ingredients contributing to the unique flavour profile of Busha Browne's products include Allspice, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cane Vinegar, Escallion, Thyme, Vine-ripened Tomatoes, Mangoes, Bananas, Pineapples, Lime Juice, Seville Orange, Guava, Tamarind and Raw Cane Sugar.
* Healthy
* All natural
* Easy to use
* Fresh, from the abundance of Jamaica
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All natural, Sodium free, No preservatives, Fresh vegetables and spices.
ABOUT JAMAICAN COOKING
JAMAICAN COOKERY differs from that of the other West Indian Islands by reason of Jamaica's slightly different ethnic mix. The remnant of pre-Colombian menu lingers on in the use of cassava and other indigenous provisions used by the original Arawak Indians. The short-lived Spanish supremacy remains with the commodities introduced by the Spaniards such as sugar cane, the banana, the orange and many other fruits and vegetables, as well as cattle, sheep, pig, chicken and the honeybee.
With the Spanish in 1894 came the Jews and between them we now enjoy Escoveitched Fish, Solomon Gundy, Gizzada and other ultra-palatable recipes. From 1665 the British people taught us to make custards and dumplings. Through the later east Indian middle eastern and Chinese immigrants, additional influences such as rice and the
legendary curry goat were added to the national cuisine.
The largest legacy of all has been the predominant African influence, principally in the use of ackee, yams, dasheen and other delectable such as Dukanoo or Blue Draws. These dishes are today valued for their taste and economy and have joined the ranks of the now popular rastafarian trend. In Jamaica it is called Ital or Soul Food, while overseas it is termed Roots Fare, Island Shack Food or Yard Style eating.
West Indian food is spicy, but Jamaican food calls for a unique combination of seasoning for meats and savories which includes lime, garlic and the incomparable, very hot but elusively favorable Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Pepper. However, the secret ingredient in most Jamaican cookery is the indigenous pimento berry or Allspice. It is the judicious addition of this mysterious, pungent spice that provides the exotic taste that highlights Jamaican cuisine in dishes as varied as soups and stews to fruit compotes and Jamaican Christmas Pudding.
THE BUSHA BROWNE STORY
In 1836, HOWE PETER BROWNE, 2nd Marquess of Sligo, returned to Westport, Ireland, taking with him fond memories of the spicy and exotic dishes he had been served during his governorship of Jamaica.
Known as The Emancipator of the Slaves, the noble Marquess had earned himself a renowned place in Jamaican history for his two year term of office. His had been the unenviable task of supervising the first stage of Emancipation which was unpopular with the reactionary planters for whom the abolition of slavery assuredly meant financial ruin. In desperation many of these planters subsequently sold their vast estates to the local managers who were known as BUSHAS.
Sligo himself was among the first to free his slaves on his Jamaican estates - Kelly and Cocoa Walks - which he had inherited from his ancestors, the Kellys and Brownes of Ireland; Jamaican settlers from the late 1600s. The Brownes became wealthy and were numbered among the respected members of the plantocracy who were famous for their entertaining and the variety of food they served. In Jamaica their name has always been pronounced BROWNEY.
A descendant of the family Sligo, Charles Adolphus Thorburn Browne - familiarly known as Charlie Browne - has spent most of his 75
years cooking up a storm. He whiled away many hours of his boyhood days in the kitchen of his family home, Tryall Estate in Hanover, western Jamaica. Later, cooking became a hobby and he retrieved from his family archives recipes for authentic Jamaican sauces, jams, pickles and condiments made from the great variety of exotic Jamaican fruits and vegetables: all unique, spicy and delicious. Specially selected recipes from this treasure trove are now being prepared and bottled for Busha Browne's Company in Jamaica to be enjoyed as much as they were over 200 years ago.
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