Since my childhood, I've always wanted to witness a Busó Festival! (It’s an old, Hungarian tradition). On my grandmother's balcony, there was a mask displayed (back then, it seemed enormous, and even now, it's still somewhat intimidating), and I always asked her to tell me stories about them. There was something mystical, ancient, scary, yet amusing about Busós. So (among other reasons), I was thrilled when we received an invitation to the Hóci parti termelői és közösségi piac (a very nice farmer’s market in Bogyiszló), which also featured Busó performers, otherwise winter would linger, right?
Off to Bogyiszló, Busós, Here We Come!
So we packed up, brought along our booth in its brand new Secontaste dress, our Brewer’s Granolas, and of course, our Circular Coffee Tasting Boxes – because they make the perfect Valentine's Day gifts – and headed straight to Bogyiszló, where, we found the market site on the picturesque shores of a lake.
The journey took about two hours, but it gave us plenty of time to prepare from the Busós 🤓 We almost devoured Google... Our traditions are so colorful and diverse! We just have to share at least the essence, it's so fascinating.
💡Did you know? The Busó Festival is a well-known tradition from Mohács. The Busó attire has been similar throughout history: a short fur coat turned inside out, trousers stuffed with straw, colorful woolen stockings, and boots. But what truly defines a Busó is the wooden mask with a hood made of sheepskin, traditionally painted with animal blood. In the past, Busó groups, shaking their cowbells and shouting "bao-bao!", went from house to house to express good wishes, perform spells, and receive food and drink donations, which were never refused. In Mohács, they bid farewell to the cold season by burning a coffin symbolizing winter on the main square and dancing around it, welcoming the arrival of spring. And this is not just about the Busós; the Sokac girls play an equally important role, dressing in traditional Sokac attire with their faces covered.
Secontaste's First Market
We set up our brand-new, beautifully colored booth by the lake, eagerly awaiting the reception. This was the first market of the year and, indeed, the first in Secontaste's history. It was a great success; everyone's eyes were drawn to our new setup… 😊 Our customers enthusiastically browsed through our Brewer’s Granolas, while we eagerly watched to see who would be the first to find the Golden Ticket (if you haven't heard about our Golden Ticket Game, you can find the details here). Unfortunately, none of these Golden Tickets revealed themselves at the market. However, the silver lining is that it means even more are waiting for lucky granola buyers so head to the webshop!
Carrot Cake with An Extra Kick
We didn't leave the sales to chance; the night before, we baked carrot cake samples, of course, with Brewer’s Granola. It was so popular that it sold out before we knew it (especially since we were also nibbling on it 🙂). Both kids and adults happily munched away in the hustle and bustle of Bogyiszló. But that's not all; the braver member of the Secontaste team even had a Busó taste-test, and he loved it! He needed the energy for winter chasing and mischief-making (we must add, these Busós were gentlemen).
Most people highlighted how good the texture was; it wasn't dry at all but not too moist either. And they loved how the already beloved carrot cake flavor was enhanced by the roasted - caramel notes of the Brewer’s Granola. After this success, we thought we'd share the recipe with you!
Ingredients:
200g Brewer's Granola, finely ground (choose your favorite flavor, we have chosen the nutty one, because of the lovely cinnamon)
40g vegetable oil
80g brown sugar (or other sweetener)
1 teaspoon baking powder
half teaspoon salt
cinnamon or other spices (like nutmeg 🤤), if you are crazy about them, if not, then the spices in the Nutty Brewer’s Granola should be enough
1 medium-sized apple, grated
2 medium-sized carrots, grated (for both apples and carrots we reccomend to use the side of the grater with the smaller wholes)
40g plant-based milk (we have chosen oat milk) - optional, if you like it moist
HOW TO DO IT:
1. Finely grind the Brewer's Granola.
2. Mix the dry ingredients..
3. Add the vegetable oil you have chosen, the grated apple, and carrots, the plant-based milk according to your taste and mix the batter thoroughly.
4. Place it in a greased baking dish and bake in a preheated oven at 175°C for 40-50 minutes depending on the oven. Cover it halfway through with foil to prevent it from burning. We always recommend the "toothpick test", better safe, then sorry. 🙂
Share your creations with us, but first, visit our webshop for ingredients and keep your eyes open for the Golden Ticket! 🎫The very best luck to you!🎫