Jamaican Easter Bun and Some-Would-Call-It-Cheese

A bredren surprised us early this morning with the delivery of one Jamaican

Easter Bun and the requisite slab of "cheese".

"Happy Easter, Veektoddyah," he said, as he handed over the heavy dark

brick loaf of glistening bun. The surfeit of molasses in your average Easter Bun

gives it a perpetual sheen. Kind of like an oil slick. He then handed over a

half-circle slab of melon-colored cheese, wrapped tightly in saran wrap.

It was a sweet gesture, really, even tho' Easter Bun is not really my cuppa tea,

so to speak. The loaf is much like a traditional North American

Christmas Fruit Cake -- dark and dense, with pieces of minced dried fruit. The

dessert that seemed to show up every holiday but one which I hardly

ever recall seeing anyone eat. It was not unusual for one Fruit Cake to make

multiple appearances over the holidays, being shuttled from one party to the

next. The ultimate culinary re-gift.

But Jamaicans love their Easter Bun. And cheese.

Don't get me wrong. I love Jamaican cooking. Thanks to the King, we have some

variation of Jamaican cuisine 5 days out of every 7. But I draw the line at

traditional Jamaican "cheese." A pale orange, slightly spongey, it is reminiscent

of Velveeta. Or what the government would call "cheese food." It smears nicely

on top of a dense piece of Easter Bun, providing a nice pseudo-dairy

counterpoint to the sweet, syrupy molasses of the bun.

Or so they say.

As for me, I say pass me the manchego with dried fig and a piece of toasted

walnut bread....and whatever you got in your Easter basket, sweetie.

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