Guyana @ 50 - Basil
>> Friday, 29 April 2016
Let's discuss. How did this basil, the variety known as Basil Bush come to be known in Guyana as "Married Man Pork"? The basil has a wonderfully distinct flavour. When it is combined with broad-leaf thyme, the combination creates the signature taste of Guyanese Black Pudding. In Barbados, the broad-leaf thyme is known colloquially as "poor man's pork"; the reason being that the savoury, highly fragranced leaves give off the aroma and flavour of cooked meat. This would have been important at a time when there was little or no meat and cooks employed all their skills and knowledge to elevate "simple" ingredients. I find it interesting the reference to pork in the use of both of these herbs.
So how do you think the term "Married Man Pork" came about?