Meaning
A hard, chewy sweet made of coconut and boiled sugar (dark from burnt sugar or spiced with ginger), sold at shops and by higglers. Its full name is 'Bustamante backbone', jokingly after the tough national hero and first Prime Minister Alexander Bustamante — because the candy is so hard it tests your teeth and 'backbone'.
Examples
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Buy mi a busta from di shop.
Buy me a Bustamante backbone from the shop.
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Di busta hard, mind yuh teet.
The candy is hard, mind your teeth.
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Coconut an sugar mek di busta sweet.
Coconut and sugar make the busta sweet.
Origin
Short for 'Bustamante backbone', humorously named after national hero Alexander Bustamante for the sweet's toughness.
How it’s used
A hard coconut-and-sugar candy; 'Bustamante backbone' jokes about its toughness. See [[grater-cake]], [[asham]].