If you’re a fan of seasonal foods like beef stew and chilli, marinated meats, and tofu, you must be familiar with Worcestershire sauce. This sauce adds a rich and savoury taste to many dishes. However, did you know this famous British condiment has Indian roots? Worcestershire sauce was created by John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins in Worcester, England, but one advertising executive claimed it is based on an Indian recipe. Scroll down for more details.
Is Worcestershire Sauce Actually Based On An Indian Recipe?
In an interview with Tom Nash (@djhookie), British advertising executive Rory Sutherland revealed that the original Worcestershire sauce was made in the 19th century, thanks to an Indian recipe. He said, “Worcestershire is actually an Indian recipe. This guy comes back from the Raj with a recipe given to him by a local Indian for a very interesting sauce that involves anchovies in some form. And he goes to the local chemist in Worcester, who is called Lea & Perrins. They were just a family chemist, and he says, can you make this for me, please?”
The chemists followed the recipe and made a barrel of the sauce. The result? It was so disgusting and awful that nobody could touch it. The man who brought this recipe gave up and probably died, Sutherland revealed in the podcast. The twist came when, after 10 years, they discovered the sauce barrel in the cellar, and by that time it had matured and turned out to be really delicious.
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More About This Famous Condiment
Worcestershire sauce is also known as Worcester sauce and was created in the 19th century by two pharmacists, John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins, who later founded the famous Lea & Perrins company. This sauce is made using common British ingredients like malt vinegar, spirit vinegar, anchovies, tamarind, garlic, onions, molasses, sugar, salt, spices, and more. It is best known for its strong umami flavour, giving the dish a delightful twist.
This savoury sauce is the key ingredient in cocktails such as the Bloody Mary and Caesar. Also, in food, it is used in steaks, hamburgers, Welsh rarebit, Caesar salad, Oysters Kirkpatrick, devilled eggs—to name a few.
Did you know about this India connection of Worcestershire sauce? Let us know in the comments below!
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Cover Image Courtesy: X/ @RetroHighway